Charmed: The Final Season (Season 4)
by p3nathan
Summary: An alternate Charmed season 4 in which Prue lives and the original power of three continues for one more epic season.
1. O' Sister, Where Art Thou?

Charmed

(Season 4, Episode 1)

"O' Sister, Where Art Thou?"

By P3Nathan

Screams echoed through the night time on Prescott Street. The shrieks that originated from the old Victorian manor house were undeniable, even in the chilling storm that raged that night. It was 1975 and Patty Halliwell writhed on top of her bed as her third daughter began to crown. Her husband Victor kneeled at her bedside, having his hand squeezed whenever Patty screamed. Her mother Penny wiped her brow and neck with a cool damp cloth. The power had gone out, typically, right before Patty's water broke; so the room was lit only by the soft orange glow of candle light and the odd flash of lightning from outside.

"Oh! Why isn't this any easier the third time round?" Patty winced.

Victor rubbed her shoulders. "Hang in there sweetheart, our daughter will be here soon." He looked up at Penny, "Right?"

Penny went to check on her daughter's progress. "Alright Patty, it definitely looks like it's time to push" she confirmed.

Patty squeezed Victor's hand with one hand, while squeezing the mattress with the other and gave it her all. Her face contorted into shapes almost impossible to replicate under any other circumstances, as she pushed through the pain. She stopped for a moment to breathe.

"She's almost here, she's almost here. One more should do it!" Penny cheered.

Victor welled up as his wife gritted her teeth and pushed some more. "You'll be holding her before you know it"

Patty stopped pushing and gasped as she heard a baby's cries. She gave a smile that lit up the room more than any electricity could, as her mother rose from the bottom of the bed with a beautiful baby girl in her arms. "She is so beautiful" Patty beamed with tears in her eyes.

"Of course she is, takes after her mother" Penny handed the baby to the mom of three.

Victor tickled the baby's tiny hand as Patty rocked her in her arms. "I'm sure she'll be as strong and as wise as her mom as well"

Patty kissed her husband and looked at her baby's face. The crying almost instantly gurgled out as the new born made eye contact with her mom for the first time. Even the thunder that still rumbled didn't seem to trouble her now. "We're so happy you're here. Little Phoebe Halliwell."

"Do you want anything?" Penny spoke softly.

"A glass of water would be great" Patty replied, a little hoarse.

Penny left the room to see to her daughter's request.

Just as the sound of Penny walking downstairs faded, three beings in black hooded cloaks appeared in front of Patty, Victor and Phoebe.

"Demons," Victor seethed; furious that the forces of evil were interrupting such a precious moment. He got up and charged at the figures.

"Victor, no!" Patty cried, as one of the demons casually threw him to the other side of the room with the wave of a hand.

The commotion started Phoebe crying again.

"He wants the baby; that is all." The middle of the three demons stated emotionlessly. He began to move towards the mother and daughter.

"Keep away from my daughter!" Making sure Phoebe had enough support with her right arm underneath her, Patty threw out her left arm, fingers extended; causing the demons to freeze. They started to move again in slow motion, fighting through Patty's power, but to Patty's relief, she heard her mother's rapid footsteps getting closer and closer.

A frenzied Penny entered the room just as the demons broke out of the freeze. They stepped back for a moment, surprised by Penny's sudden appearance.

"He will have the baby, if not today, then eventually." The middle demon coldly stated to Penny.

"You will leave them alone and you will leave my house!" With that, Penny raised her arms and the demons were swept out of the room in a blur. The force of Penny's telekinetic magic blew through the room like a gust of wind that dissipated as quickly as it emerged.

Victor recovered and picked himself up off the floor. "Thank you Penny."

Penny nodded, feeling her pounding heartbeat beginning to calm.

Patty rocked Phoebe once again and managed to calm her a little. "Mom, will they come back?"

Penny sighed. "Not tonight dear. Not tonight."

Present day. Halliwell Manor was deathly still. The house was rendered silent, but the wreckage spoke volumes. The doors were open slightly, the glass panes having shattered against the force of the demon that left such destruction in its wake. Three bodies lay bleeding; two witches and one innocent. Prue and Piper Halliwell were led unconscious next to each other; they're lives hanging by the thinnest threads. Doctor Griffiths; an accomplished, respected and much loved man, was slumped over a window frame; blood dripping from his ear. It was too late for him. He had been the target of the demonic hit man Shax and so the grey skinned demon made sure to deliver a fatal blow to the mortal. The witches were really just collateral damage; but fun had clearly been had with the added destruction.

Down in the dark caves of the Underworld, Phoebe Halliwell and Leo Wyatt waited anxiously for news. Cole Turner shimmered in before them.

"It's done." He announced, with fear in his eyes.

Phoebe turned to her whitelighter. "Go now!"

"What about…" Before Leo could finish, five demon guards appeared around them.

A demon blasted Cole with a bolt of electricity directly into his spine that sent him flying across the cave and slamming into a wall.

"Now! Don't let this be for nothing!" Phoebe insisted.

Leo obediently orbed out.

Phoebe turned and assumed a fighting stance ready for battle, only to find that she wasn't being approached by any of the demons. They were all surrounding Cole, hitting him with electricity, kicking him and punching him while he was down. Phoebe charged at the group and kicked one of the demon's feet off the ground. The others turned towards her, revealing a bloody and unconscious Cole.

"Come on you bastards, you wanna keep me here? You can bet I'll be kicking and screaming!" Said the determined witch.

The demons didn't look the least bit concerned. "Oh we don't doubt that", one of them smirked.

Phoebe didn't like this, why weren't they attacking her? Suddenly it became all too clear. She felt a presence behind her; hot as the fires of hell. The heat subsided as she felt the red claws and the dark robe slither around her body. She gasped for air, unable to scream as the Source of All Evil enveloped her. She didn't have time to think; to react. It was too late. She belonged to him.

Leo orbed into Halliwell Manor and immediately ran to his wife's side. Holding his hands over her body, he allowed the golden light of his healing power to run through her. Leo let out a sigh of relief as the blood began to disappear and Piper's wounds began to fade. However, he knew he had no time to celebrate and began to use his power on the eldest Halliwell sister. Leo looked concerned.

"Come on Prue." he begged. He could feel that Prue probably should have been healed first; she was very close to death, so it took longer for his power to take effect. Fortunately he had gotten there just in time and the blood began to clear. The two sisters started to come to, but Leo ran straight to Doctor Griffiths. He applied his power to the innocent, but the glow in his hands just flickered uselessly at his lifeless body. "Damn it." It was too late; he'd been dead for some time.

Prue and Piper arose from the floor.

Piper groaned: "What happened?"

Leo sprinted towards his wife and gave her the tightest hug he could. He failed to hold back the tears in his eyes. "I love you so much"

Piper looked toward Prue confused.

Prue shrugged; just as unaware of recent events as her younger sibling.

"I love you too. It's alright, I'm okay." Piper saw Doctor Griffith's body over his shoulder. "Oh God!"

Prue ran over to check on their innocent. "Is he…"

"I tried, I'm sorry, he's gone." Leo sighed, head bowing slightly at his failure to heal the doctor.

"Son of a bitch!" Prue barked.

Leo looked up.

"No, not you." Prue assured.

"Prue, we'll get him, it'll be okay." Piper attempted to reassure her sister.

"It's not okay Piper, an innocent is dead. Evil won." Prue ranted.

Piper couldn't deny her sister had a point. "I guess our track record hasn't been looking too hot recently"

"Yeah no kidding" Prue responded. "And where the hell is Phoebe? I called her like three times."

Leo braced himself, "I've got some explaining to do. Well to start off, I can honestly say that things could be worse, I know that for a fact."

Prue raised an eyebrow.

"We're listening." Piper said nervously.

"Well I'll fill you in, but I think we have a big problem." He started.

"What? What's wrong?" Prue looked increasingly nervous and impatient.

"I've been trying to orb back to Phoebe since I tried to heal Griffiths and I can't. I think that means he already has her." Leo struggled to look the sisters in the eye.

Piper held her breath for her next question: "Who's he?"

In the Underworld, The Source sat proud at his throne, savouring his victory. A demon guard approached and bowed before him.

"The witch and Belthazor have both been imprisoned my liege. The dungeon guards await further instructions." The demon submitted.

The Source gave a quiet, deep cackle of satisfaction. "Phoebe Halliwell… the baby of the Warren clan. Oh I have such plans for you my child."

A bolt of lightning crackled in the darkness behind his throne.

(Opening Credits)

It was a cold night in San Francisco. Most people were warm asleep in their beds. To most people, the world was normal again. The exposure of magic had been undone, but a new disaster had hit the Halliwell sisters hard.

Prue sat at an altar in the attic. She rubbed her eyes as she lit a couple of candles. It was the early hours of the morning and she was exhausted; but she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep despite this, so she decided to use her time more productively. Two weeks had passed since she had survived Shax's attack. Two weeks had passed since she last saw her baby sister. It wasn't really so long ago that Phoebe hadn't been living with them; before the power of the Charmed Ones was reawakened, but now her absence was a black hole in the home.

"Power of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies. Come to us who call you near; come to us and settle here," Prue incanted. She grabbed an athame from the altar and pricked her finger with the point, allowing the blood to drip into a small bowl of herbs. "Blood to blood, I summon thee. Blood to blood, return to me." She waited expectantly as the candle flames flickered slightly. Nothing. A solitary tear ran down Prue's cheek. She wiped it off her face; she didn't have time to cry... it was probably just exhaustion anyway.

Piper entered the attic in her nightgown to check what was happening. "Prue? Honey, you're bleeding." Piper grabbed a tissue and held it to her sister's finger. "It's three o' clock in the morning, what are you doing?"

"I can't sleep Piper. I can't rest while our sister is with that monster. I don't understand why magic can't fix this. It's like the book has just deserted her!"

Piper didn't know what to say, she just continued to dab Prue's finger.

"We were so careless Piper. Vanquishing a demon in broad daylight? What were we thinking?" Prue despaired. "She saved us. We screwed up big time and she fixed it. We can't let her down!"

"Leo says the Elders are still working on a way to get through the Source's barriers." Piper attempted to comfort.

"Which puts us at the exact same point we were at two weeks ago Piper. I'm not leaving her fate in anyone else's hands, I can't fail her." Another tear ran down Prue's cheek; it wasn't exhaustion after all.

"We'll find a way. I miss her too and I can't even bare to think of what she might be..." Piper stopped herself from finishing; completing that sentence was not going to help matters. "Come on, at least rest your eyes for a few hours. You can't use this much magic without letting yourself recharge."

Prue couldn't argue with her sister about that much. Her powers were no good to anyone if she didn't have the energy to use them properly. She certainly needed all the energy she could gather to take down The Source. And she would, if it was the last thing she ever did. But, for the time being, she would rest, on her bed in the dark.  
On the way to her bedroom, she saw Kit, their trusted feline, sat outside Phoebe's bedroom. Prue could've swore she saw sadness in the cat's eyes; knowing that the youngest sister wasn't there behind the closed door. She picked Kit up; "I know baby. We'll get her back, don't worry."  
As she rested on top of her covers with Kit snoozing beside her, Prue prayed that Cole would be with her sister and couldn't help but laugh at the fact that that was something she actually wanted. Whether Cole could be trusted or not was still very much up for debate, but next to The Source of All Evil, Prue was far more appreciative of the devil she knew.  
As her mind wandered frantically, an idea came to her. Perhaps she was looking at the wrong type of magic.

Phoebe Halliwell slowly opened her eyes. Every day, she'd make a little wish within the moment that she did this. That brief state of consciousness between sleep and awake. She wished that it had all been a nightmare. No such luck. She opened her eyes to her dark prison once again. The only light she had was from a torch secured into the stone wall. There was very little ventilation in the room and the smell was horrendous. She looked down at the dirt floor she had just been asleep on and suddenly became painfully aware of how much her back ached. The only other thing in the cell was a small bowl of water, placed on the floor as if left for a dog. Despite that, Phoebe was still thirsty; she was given the bare minimum to keep her alive and strictly nothing more. Why they were keeping her alive, she didn't know. She wondered if Cole had been given the same treatment, or if he was long since killed. She missed her sisters. She missed her sisters so much that it felt like knives in her soul.

The door to her prison swung open. A guard placed a plate of what Phoebe assumed was intended as food and then locked the door; all of this without making eye contact. Phoebe waited a few moments before deciding it was okay to approach the offering. She looked grimly at the small slop of unidentifiable gruel. There were no utensils with which to eat; that would allow her to maintain a shred of dignity after all. Phoebe decided to leave the food for now; it wasn't as if she needed to get it while it was hot. She hobbled over to the door, her clothes becoming increasingly dirty and her dark blonde hair a greasy, frizzed mess. She bashed on the steel. "Hello?" she yelled. She bashed on it three more times. "I really need a bathroom!" She heard footsteps approaching and jolted back as something slammed against the opposite side of the door.

"You're not going anywhere witch! You know the drill." A deep voice taunted.

Phoebe could hear the sick satisfaction in his voice. She turned around and looked at her surroundings once again. She held her head in her hands and tried to steady her breathing.

"Keep it together Phoebe", she said to herself. She let out a sigh of hopelessness and approached one of the corners of the room. At least nobody was there to see her.

Darryl Morris knocked on the door of the manor. He was greeted by a rather tired looking Piper. "Hey Piper, do you have a minute? I could really do with updating you guys on the situation."

"Oh um, yeah of course Darryl. Come on in." Piper allowed the inspector inside.

"How are you and Prue doing? Any luck getting Phoebe back?" he enquired.

"We've been hitting one brick wall after another for a couple of weeks now, but Prue seems to have had some kind of epiphany... though she's not letting me in on it, which is a little worrying." Piper offered him a cup of coffee, but he declined. "Prue!" Piper called upstairs, "Darryl has some info to share!"

"Just be a couple of minutes!" Answered Prue.

Piper and Darryl sat at the kitchen table. "I'm afraid I don't really have good news" Darryl began.

Piper let out a cynical giggle; "Who does these days?"

"My captain is talking about bringing you in for more questioning" Darryl said softly as if walking on a verbal minefield.

"What else could we have to say? We told him that we were knocked out and couldn't remember anything." Piper sipped her coffee to try and stay calm.

"Well that bought us some time, but I think that excuse would have worked a little better if Leo hadn't healed your head injuries." Darryl explained.

"Right, but then we would have been dead" Piper sighed, "For cryin' out loud."

"Sorry Piper, I know this is the last thing you guys need to deal with. At least he still doesn't have reason to suspect Phoebe played any part in it; as far as he knows she's still visiting friends in New York." Darryl assured.

"Well that's something at least... and don't be sorry Darryl, this sure as hell isn't your fault; we probably would've been exposed all over again if it wasn't for your help." Piper looked sad, remembering what Leo had told her.

Darryl gave a small smile, happy to be appreciated and do his part. "Sounded pretty horrible from what you said Leo described. Things are bad, but at least you guys managed to fix that."

Piper looked at her coffee cup, a deep shame washing over her. "Apparently I didn't have anything to do with it; I was dead. She brought me back." Piper's eyes began to fill. "I've been helping Prue all I can, but I'm really worried about her state of mind... and Phoebe..." the tears began to fall.

Darryl reached out and laid a hand on Piper's.

"I just feel so useless. I wish Leo hadn't told me what happened, because now I can't get it out of my mind. I needed saving, I did this; which means if anything happens to Phoebe..." Piper stops, the tears beginning to hurt her throat.

"Have you said any of this to Prue?" Darryl asked.

"No." Piper shook her head immediately. "I need to keep a brave face for her," Piper took another sip and looked concerned. "Speaking of which, what is she doing?" As if on cue, a crash could be heard from upstairs.

Darryl and Piper ran towards the stairs. Darryl held his hand close to his gun. He hadn't had much luck last time he went up against demons with a firearm, but perhaps he could at least distract one long enough for his friends to secure a vanquish. The two rushed towards the attic, but before they could enter they found themselves dodging an energy ball that escaped from the room. Darryl pushed Piper to the floor and the demonic attack blew a hole in the wall.

"What the hell?" Piper grumbled.

Darryl grabbed his gun as they both entered the room.

Piper stopped in disbelief at the scene transpiring before her.

Prue was wrestling on the floor of the attic; seemingly winning at that moment, she kneeled on top of someone in a fitted business suit, repeatedly punching them in the face; which Piper wasn't able to make out from behind Prue's beating.

"Prue?" Piper wailed.

Momentarily distracted by her sister's presence, Prue halted her attack and consequently received a sizeable black heal to the face, which sent her hurtling backwards to the other side of the attic.

Piper gasped, but didn't have time to rush to her sister's aid as the demon recovered and was heading towards her. Piper's eyes widened as she recognised the suit; it was Klea, one of the few remaining upper-level demons belonging to The Brotherhood of the Thorn.

Darryl took two shots at the stone faced she-devil, which only served to slow her down, the bullets dropping to the floor and her wounds swiftly fading. Fortunately this was long enough for Prue to gather herself and get back on her feet.

As Klea rapidly recovered, Piper raised her hands, hoping she'd be able to freeze her. Before she got the chance, Prue pulled Klea backwards to the ground with her telekinesis.

"No Piper, you might blow her up!" Prue warned.

Piper shrugged confused, "And that would be a bad thing?"

Seizing the opportunity while Klea was on the floor, Prue aimed her power at a box amongst the sisters' magical supplies. The box opened to reveal four crystals and with a few hand gestures from Prue, they floated from the container and gathered around Klea's body, resting on the floor. Klea attempted to rise from the floor, but the crystals glowed and sizzled with electrical energy that fired through her body; bringing her to her knees. The demon seethed with fury.

"Oh I so didn't need to know this was happening," Darryl mumbled to himself.

Piper huffed at her sister. "What the hell is this Prue?"

"I summoned her", Prue answered nonchalantly, "Adjusted the magic to magic spell."

"Why? What could you possibly want with her?" Piper gestured to Klea.

"I suggest you vanquish me now," Klea scowled.

"Shut up!" Prue responded. She led Piper and Darryl outside the attic to talk. "I was thinking last night about how much evil has been winning lately."

"But Prue, we…"

"Please Piper, just let me finish," Prue insisted. "I thought about the innocents we'd lost lately: Davidson, Griffiths, Janna… and then I remembered, The Brotherhood!"

"What about them?" Piper questioned.

"They made a blood oath to The Source, he hand picks the members. If anyone knows about his plans now that The Triad is dead, surely it must be them." Prue explained.

Darryl pitched in. "But even if that's true, didn't you say that your magic was blocked from wherever Phoebe is?"

"Exactly; _our_ magic," Prue emphasised with a cunning smile. "Good magic is being shielded against, but he wouldn't block himself off from his main operatives on earth."

"And that's where Ally McBeelzebub comes in?" Darryl wagers.

"Precisely" Prue beams a little with pride in her plan.

Piper doesn't look impressed. "We're trusting a demon to get us to Phoebe? This is where we're at?"

"Oh trust doesn't come into it. We have a potion left, she opens the door to the underworld or she dies." Prue shows them a vial of violet potion from her pocket.

"Then I shall die for my liege!" Klea announces from the attic, having been eaves dropping the whole time.

Piper gestures towards the attic in a 'there ya go' manner. "At least run it by Leo first, see if The Elders have made any progress."

Prue scoffs, "And you think _I'm_ acting desperate? Fine, go ahead."

Piper calls for her husband and he instantly orbs in beside her. "Please tell me you have some good news."

"They may be onto something, but they need a little more time," Leo winced as the last part left his lips.

"Tough" Prue abruptly responded. "They've had two damn weeks and we have no idea what Phoebe has been going through in that time; we're done waiting. We take the fight to them."

"I may have an idea what your sister has been through," Klea cooed.

The four of them re-entered the attic and looked down at the demon.

"But just out of curiosity, what makes you think she isn't dead?" Klea asked.

"She isn't. We'd know," Piper asserted.

"What is he doing?" Prue demanded.

"I imagine she's in the dungeon. A terrible place" It was clear, even with a demon as cold and withholding as Klea, that she was getting sick satisfaction from letting them know of their sister's suffering.

"You'll take us there. Shimmer us, open a portal, whatever," dictated Prue.

"No I won't" answered Klea. "Do you realise who you've summoned? I will gladly die before I take orders from a witch."

Phoebe looked up at the stone above her as she led on the floor, drifting into slumber. It wasn't easy to fall asleep intentionally in her surroundings; but she'd grown increasingly weak due to lack of sustenance and air, so occasionally she'd fall unconscious from sheer lack of energy.  
As she closed her eyes, she went back to a younger, blissfully ignorant version of herself. Before she had a destiny, before she knew of demons. She was in New York; it was the middle of the day and the streets were packed with people. Phoebe rode her bike with a smile on her face; youth in her eyes and a bounce in her curled bob haircut. She glided through the city; like a duck to water in the New York bustle. She rode into Central Park and pulled up next to a bench. Pulling a large cell phone from inside her coat, she dialled a number she knew by heart. "Hey Clay, I'm here. You close?" she asked through the brick-like nineties contraption. She gave a school girl grin, "Okay, see you soon!"  
Phoebe breathed in the park air and took in her surroundings. The contrast between the vibrant colours of nature and the city that never sleeps was something she adored. She could've sat in that moment forever; her free spirit singing within her. She loved it: young, free and with her whole life ahead of her. She rested back on the bench and looked towards the clear blue sky. Suddenly Phoebe felt an anxiety bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Her smile faded; eyes still locked on the sky above. The calm and clear blue began to morph into a mass of darkest grey clouds that rumbled forebodingly above her. As it stirred, voices whispered and echoed around her: first her own "We're the protectors of the innocent; we're known as the Charmed Ones," then her eldest sister's: "Phoebe, what I don't understand is how you could have lied to us. Piper and me, a lie, that still poses a threat to all three of us." Then the voice of her late Grams: "Phoebe, what is the matter with you? How can you behave so recklessly? What about your destiny, your-your future?" Finally, as the park began to darken to such a degree that Phoebe could no longer see the sky; she heard her sisters chanting along with herself: "The power of three will set us free, the power of three will set us free, the power of three will set us free."

The dream was over, but she wasn't quite awake yet and in that moment of black, she heard a familiar female voice. "No, Phoebe, don't!"

A loud bang broke through Phoebe's sleep and snapped her back into the Underworld. The realisation made her sick to her stomach; or maybe that was the small bit of gruel she forced down earlier. Phoebe looked at the door and realised that the banging was coming from the other side. She prayed that it was her sisters. The door swung open and a battered and bruised Cole hobbled inside. Phoebe didn't hide her elation as he collapsed to his knees in front of her. They looked into each other's eyes for the first time in what felt like months to Phoebe.

"Phoebe, are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Cole asked through his bloody, swollen lip.

"I'm fine" Phoebe lied and immediately she lost any credibility by bursting into tears before him. She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped the arm that wasn't broken around her.

"We'll be okay, I promise" Cole held her, "He would've killed us by now if that's what he wanted."

"I worried he _had_ killed you. How did you get away? Can you shimmer?" Phoebe asked with hope in her voice.

"No" Cole shook his head, "but I managed to fight off a guard, they'll be coming." Cole moved in closer to Phoebe and they kissed.

Phoebe put as much passion as she could into that one moment; she's missed Cole so much… hell, she missed any of the affection she had grown accustom to in her life back home. His lips were so warm, the fire between them vibrant. "Oh sorry" Phoebe pulled back, "your lip."

"It's fine" Cole assured her. "It's worth it." Cole picked himself up off the ground, he was about to hold out his hand to help Phoebe up, but before she could reach, three demons shimmered in behind him. Phoebe's eyes widened; she didn't even have time to scream before one of the demons stuck a knife into Cole's lower back. Cole gasped and blood dripped on the ground.

"No!" Phoebe cried in anguish.

The demons shimmered out with the injured Cole, leaving Phoebe alone once again. The steel door shut magically the moment they left and all Phoebe could do was weep in the silence and the darkness.

Klea screamed in agony as the bolts of electricity; that emanated from the crystals surrounding her, charged through her body.

Prue gave a flick of her wrist which shifted one of the crystals just out of the formation, ending the torture. She held the potion vial in her hand. "Last chance Klea. If I have to vanquish my way through every one that's left in your little brotherhood, I will!" she threatened.

Darryl left once the torture began, figuring it was best he didn't witness such tactics, even if they were being used on a demon. This left Prue, Piper and Leo alone with her.

Piper looked at her sister, more than concerned with the amount of rage practically vibrating from her. She knew Prue couldn't keep this up much longer; at this rate, she'd make a mistake and they could end up worse off than before time reset. "Prue, breathe" she said, laying a hand on her sister's arm. She looked at Klea: "What about Cole?"

Klea raised her eyebrow to the middle Halliwell sibling. "What about Belthazor?"

"Well he's your brother isn't he?" Piper pointed out, doing air quotes with her fingers around the word 'brother'. "What happens to him must be of some concern to you."

"Belthazor is a traitor and responsible for the deaths of three of my closest comrades. My only concern is that The Source makes his death a slow one." Klea hissed.

Leo took Prue and Piper aside. "This isn't getting us anywhere Prue. I say we give The Elders the benefit of the doubt on this one; wait to hear them out."

Piper followed suit, "You know I hate to say it Prue, but I think Leo might be right."

Leo gave Piper a look.

"…I mean I hate to give the Elders the benefit of the doubt. But Klea clearly isn't going to talk and any other Brotherhood members we can find are probably going to be exactly the same. These guys are hard-core; that's why The Source picked them."

Prue didn't say anything. She just sighed, defeated.

Meanwhile, Klea listened as whisperings began to flow through her mind. Her eyes lit up red and she smiled.

Piper noticed the demon. "What's she doing?"

As Prue and Leo turned, Klea's eyes went back to normal. "Very well" she said.

"Very well what?" Prue folded her arms losing patience.

"Very well; I will open a portal to the underworld" she offered.

Piper became agitated. "Woah, wait a second. Why the sudden change of heart? What was with the creepy glowy eye thing?"

"You're wasting my time and your sisters. Now do you want the portal or not?"

Prue and Piper looked at each other, smelling a rat. "What's the catch?" asked Prue.

"Just my freedom" Klea shrugged. "I can't create a portal trapped in here, so if you want your ticket to the Underworld, you'll have to let me go."

Prue and Piper both sighed, the thought of letting a dangerous demon go free was painful for both of them; but they were desperate.

"Fine" Prue agreed through gritted teeth. She comforted herself by silently swearing that she would vanquish her soon enough and that the power of three would be restored to do it. Prue wasted no time and with a quick wave of her hand, the crystals around Klea dispersed.

Klea rose from the floor and allowed a small, evil smile. Klea held her hands together as if to pray and began speaking in a strange and unrecognisable language. Unrecognizable to non-supernatural ears at least. To Piper, it sounded vaguely familiar and she eventually realised that she had heard it spoken by The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. 'Oh that bodes well', Piper thought.  
Klea's ceased her chant and a swirling vortex appeared on the floor between them. It swirled hot orange and crackled with red energy- this was it; the portal to the underworld.

Before Prue even got a chance to warn Klea that she would bring an end to her evil, she had gone, leaving only glowing red eyes which faded soon after.

"That could drop you anyway. The Underworld is a big place" Leo cautioned.

"So long as we're closer to Phoebe than we are now, we'll deal with it" Piper vowed.

"Be ready to use whatever magic you can muster. Ninety percent chance this is a trap" Prue instructed. Prue ran towards the portal and didn't hesitate; jumping into the vortex. It crackled a little more as her body disappeared through the energy.

Piper and Leo smiled at each other. Piper took hold of her husband's hand. "Love you."

"I love you too" he reciprocated. Remaining hand in hand, the couple jumped into the vortex. A few seconds later it closed up as if it was never there at all.

In the underworld dungeon, a badly wounded Cole was shimmered back into his cell by three demon guards. One of the demons looked concerned. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Cole smiled. "Of course I am." He slowly moved a hand over the stab wound and it closed up as quickly as it was inflicted. "Flesh wounds are just smoke and mirrors." Cole suddenly collapsed to the floor unconscious and a dark essence rose from his body. The essence shifted through the air and formed into the imposing body of The Source. He looked down at his once trusted demon soldier. "The witches are on their way. Klea played them perfectly as I knew she would. Send enough demons for them to fight so that they don't get suspicious. By the time they've figured us out, it will be too late." With that, The Source disappeared in a pillar of flame.

 **Next on "Charmed"-**

Where the Sun Don't Shine-  
Prue, Piper and Leo venture through the depths of the underworld to find Phoebe. Unaware, Phoebe devices her own plan of escape, while Cole is forced by The Source to face his past like never before. Will the power of three reunite, or will the underworld claim their souls?


	2. Where the Sun Don't Shine

**Charmed  
(Season 4, Episode 2)  
"Where the Sun Don't Shine"  
By P3Nathan**

On the other side of the steel door to the room where Phoebe was being held prisoner, a demon guard held a bowl of mashed up leftovers. The demonic brethren often debated whether a prisoner in the Underworld dungeon would die quicker by starvation or by eating everything that was offered, but this is what the Source had ordered, so this is what the guard did. He took a key from inside his pocket and inserted it into each of the four locks that ran down the door. He entered the dimly-lit room. He couldn't see the witch. He squinted his eyes; thinking she might have been in the shadows.

Nothing.

"Witch?" he called.

No answer.

He began to panic and was about turn around and go to alert his brethren. However, before he could, Phoebe floated down to the ground behind him holding a flaming torch and gave him one swift pummel across the back of the head with it. The guard fell to the ground unconscious and Phoebe let out a quick manic laugh at the relief of her success, not wasting any time before running out the door to her freedom.

Prue, Piper and Leo groaned as they recovered from their rough journey on the hard dirt ground. The portal had dropped them from quite a height; not enough to do any serious damage, just enough to make sure they'd be aching for a while.

"As soon as we get Phoebe back, I'm booking a spa day" Piper announced as she got up and stretched.

"Count me in, I'll be ready for a…whoa!" Prue stopped as she looked up at what stood before them.

Beyond the few metres of dirt that lay at their feet, a vast river of fire burned brightly; so much so that it was painful to look at directly. At the other side of the inferno stream was a backdrop of treacherous cliffs and an angry-looking volcano that smoked black.

"Here we are," Leo informed them. "The Underworld."

Piper looked around; her amazement quickly waning in favour of her more-familiar nerves.  
"It'd make for some impressive photos. Intimidating… but impressive."

Prue turned to face Piper and Leo. "There doesn't seem to be anyone around here. I can't wait to unleash the Power of Three on that hell-bitch; I just knew she'd set us up!"

Leo looked by Prue. "Maybe not…"

Prue turned back around to see what he was looking at. Down the river of fire, a large boat floated above the flames towards the trio. It stopped right in front of them. "I don't like boats."

Piper stood closer to her sister's side. "Well, bright side? I'd say the chances of us hitting an iceberg are pretty slim."

Prue rolled her eyes.

"What are you waiting for?" a voice echoed around them.

Atop the boat, a red-haired woman appeared in a veil of fire. Prue instantly recognised her. "You!"

Piper looked perplexed at her sister. "You, who? Who's she?"

"You know Charon?" Leo asked.

Charon smirked. "I had a feeling we'd meet again."

"When Phoebe and I fought the ghost of Alcatraz," Prue explained, "she took his soul."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "What is it with you and these grim-reaper, soul collecting types?"

"I'm a very busy spectre," Charon growled impatiently. "I'd appreciate it if we could move this along. All aboard" She grinned as she gesticulated as if she was giving a Mediterranean cruise.

The three of them looked more than a little reluctant.

Charon sighed. "I can get you closer to your sister… and," she leered, "I assume you're relying on The Power of Three to get home, am I right?"

They didn't answer; it was obvious that she was right.

"Well then, your journey starts here. Keep your arms and legs inside the vessel at all times. I don't want anyone accidentally cremating themselves… or do I? Hahaha, no really, take a seat, everyone!"

Prue, Piper and Leo boarded the vessel.

"She doesn't have any owes," Leo pointed out.

Piper turned to him. "Yes, that's the weird part."

Charon raised her arms and the boat began to float down the flames.

Prue looked into the distance; anxious but determined. "We're coming Phoebe."

(Opening Credits) 

Cole Turner slept; battered and bruised. He was exhausted from the beatings and from trying desperately to shimmer every few minutes; just on the off chance that there was a fluke that allowed him through the Source's magical security. He slowly came to; gradually opening his swollen eyes. Remaining on the ground, he turned his head to look into the shadows.

"You're still here aren't you?" Cole called to the darkness.

There was a moment of silence before an answer came. A female voice responded.

"I'll be here as long as you need me to be Belthazor."

She stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself. It was Janna, the last witch Cole had killed. She smiled at him.

"As long as you're working through your guilt, I will be here."

Cole sneered. "What do you take me for?"

"A killer" she replied.

"You're not her. It's being here. It's just Underworld mind games. She's dead and she was good, she wouldn't be here."

Janna moved closer to him. "You're not wrong Cole. But tell me, does that make what I represent any less true? Does that really make the shame any easier?"

Cole turned away; he couldn't look at her, real or not. "I was under a spell"

Janna sighed. "Well then. Sounds like I'll be here for some time."

Prue looked around as the boat floated through a chamber of various doors. She looked up and saw that there were more doors high above; further than the naked eye could see. "Is this where Phoebe is?"

"Oh no. These doors are saved for the very worst souls and it's strictly the dead only" the ferrywoman clarified.

Piper slumped into her seat a little as if to hide from the evils that lurked around her. "The very worst?"

"Yes. When most people screw up, they reincarnate and learn from their mistakes in their next life. However some souls are far beyond that. You need to be pretty determined to end up locked down here; quite impressive really" Charon kept looking straight on as she spoke.

"I don't like this. Can we trust her?" Piper whispered to Leo.

"No, but I'm not sure we have much of a choice" he responded.

The Source sat on his throne facing the demon guard who delivered food to Phoebe.

"My liege, I am deeply sorry," he bowed. "I will find her I promise you."

"No need" The Source stated calmly. "She won't escape through the spell I put on the dungeon. Her prison break will be short lived."

The guard breathed a sigh of relief.

"But since you didn't know that, you will be punished for your failure." The Source picked up his sword and sliced off the guards head in one smooth motion. The guard's remains erupted in flames and ash before his severed head could even land on the floor.

A pair of red glowing eyes appeared next to the ruler of the Underworld and Klea shimmered in a second later. "Charon is ferrying them across the Styx now, sire"

"Ah, they'll be going through the chamber of corrupt souls" The Source sounded quite excited by the prospect. "Well then, we don't want to make this too easy for them. This could be the perfect opportunity to see how the power of three fares minus one couldn't it?"

Phoebe looked behind to see if anyone was chasing her. It was hard to know for sure; everywhere in the Underworld was so damn dim, but it seemed the coast was clear. Phoebe knew that she should probably be suspicious of the lack of resistance she was facing; but she wasn't about to look a potential gift horse in the mouth and miss the opportunity for a getaway. She had no idea where she was going. All she could do was hope for the best.

She ventured into a huge tunnel. Phoebe thought she had experienced the worst smells that The Underworld had to offer back in the dungeon, but oh was she mistaken? The tunnel was full of water that went up to Phoebe's knees. She pushed through and found herself waist deep. She dreaded to think what she was walking through; 'it smells like something died in here' she thought.  
Phoebe stopped suddenly as she felt something bash against her waist. She looked down and gasped at the sight of a body floating close next to her. It looked like it had been in the tunnel for quite some time. Phoebe jolted back to get away from the corpse only to realise that it wasn't a lone body. She froze for a moment in shock, just trying not to have a nervous breakdown, as countless bodies in various stages of decay floated around and in front of her. 'Breath through your mouth, just breath through your mouth' she thought. She attempted to steady her breathing, afraid that she might be on the verge of a severe panic attack.

She managed to calm herself as much as was possible under the circumstances and was able to think somewhat more clearly. She wondered if she could levitate over the water. No. Phoebe had gotten better at moving through the air, but the tunnel looked much too long and she feared that if her power deactivated before she got to the end, she'd end up with her head dunked under the putrid water. She'd have to brave it on foot. She took in one more deep breath through her mouth and began to power through. She held her arms above her head, desperate not to touch anything, as she forced her way through the sea of cadavers. She wondered for a moment if Cole was one of them, but she knew she couldn't let herself be distracted and that he wouldn't want her to be. 'Keep moving Phoebe, just keep moving'. Tears in her eyes, she was finally able to make out the literal light at the end of the tunnel. 'I did it!' she thought. Seeing the finishing line to the horror, she practically leaped towards the end. She just wanted to be out of there, so much so that she was now willing to use her hands, shifting her way through. The water grew shallower and shallower as she reached the end of the tunnel and she ran out of there elated at what she had achieved. She held her knees and looked at the floor, taking a moment to steady her breathing once again before carrying on.

She looked up and her smile quickly faded. For a moment she thought she was hallucinating; that perhaps the smell and the trauma had skewed her mind. No. It couldn't be. Phoebe was back in her prison. The tray of food had been left on the ground in front of the steel door, which was once again locked shut. The flaming torch that she had used against the guard was back in its original place.

It was all for nothing. Phoebe gawped at the closed door. She realised that the dungeon had some sort of magical loop; not only that, but it had been placed in the perfect position to get the escapees hopes up just enough to bring them crashing down.

Her eyes filled with more tears than she thought possible. She clasped her hands over her mouth as an uncontrollable wail burst out of her. She fell to her knees, still soaked and stinking. Tears streamed down her face as the unbearable anguish vibrated through every part of her body. She took her hands away from her mouth, remembering what she had just touched and her cries of pure sorrow echoed through her cell.

Cole sat up on the floor.

"Raynor used magic on me," Cole told the apparition.

Janna rolled her eyes. "Right. What kind of magic exactly? What spell did he cast? A lets incinerate Janna spell? It would've sucked if you'd left my family something to bury, so thanks for that by the way!"

"He made me embrace my demon half. I couldn't fight off Belthazor's urges anymore." He answered; shame in his voice.

"You ever think that might be your biggest problem?" Janna continued.

"What?"

"You talk about Belthazor as if he's a totally separate being. Now, granted; I'm no geneticist, but I'm not entirely sure that's how it works."

Cole stayed silent for a while and looked down at the ground. "How can I ever be good if I accept my demon half?"

"By taking responsibility for your own actions! Cole, can't you see it? You get it into your head that you're fighting against this uncontrollable being, so when you screw up, it's just Belthazor's fault! The way you separate the two halves of yourself; to separate his actions from your own... it's a massive safety net. Only not, because see how safe it's made you?"

"I don't..." Cole began, suddenly feeling like he'd hand the wind knocked out of him.

"It's okay; you don't have to say anything. Like you said, I'm not really here... so I'm not telling you anything you don't know deep down."

"I'm so sorry I killed you" the words came out in a whisper, like the truth of the moment needed to be treated gently as possible. Cole finally looked her in the eye. "I truly am."

Janna smiled. "I won't forgive you, Cole. But I will leave you with one last question."

Cole nodded.

"One way or another, you've always lived your life locked in the darkness. Right now, that's quite literal. My question is: Does it still feel comfortable in the dark, or are you brave enough to walk into the light?"

Before Cole could ask what she meant by that, Janna faded and he was alone. He looked around and took in the surroundings and the silence. He closed his eyes.

"Thank you."

Charon suddenly stopped her ferry moving as whispers echoed through her mind. They were still on the fiery River Styx and in the middle of the Chamber of Corrupted Souls, so naturally, Prue, Piper and Leo became a bit uncomfortable with the sudden stop.

"Why aren't we moving?" demanded Prue.

Charon nodded, "Very well."

Prue realised that Charon wasn't responding to her.

Piper and Leo stood up, anticipating trouble. "It's like what happened with Klea" Piper indicated.

Prue stood close to her sister and brother in law as Charon raised an arm.

"I'm afraid our tour must come to an unexpected end. Allow one of our worst souls to show you out." She gestured above and a loud creaking could be heard as one of the doors high above them swung open. A cloud of black smoke was released and swooped down to the ferry. It hovered next to Charon and morphed into a solid form. It was shaped like a male human; but it's cracked face, mangled teeth and hideous razor sharp claws suggested demon. Its arms were unnaturally long.

"I thought these were normal souls!" Piper panicked.

"When a soul is so corrupt, it takes on demonic attributes in the hereafter. Jack was a particularly nasty piece of work back in his day and I dare say he's quite hungry," Charon mused.

"Jack?" Prue scoffed. "Threatening. I dated a Jack."

"I believe in your world he was better known as..."

"The Ripper" Leo finished.

Prue suddenly wasn't so brazen.

Piper's jaw dropped. "You have got to be freakin' kidding!"

Jack licked his lips with a disgustingly long tongue as Charon waved goodbye.

"Try not to wreck the boat, I just had it repainted." She flamed out.

Jack swiped at the three of them with his claws. Leo instinctively grabbed Prue and Piper, orbing them out. Jack sniffed about the boat confused; he went and examined the space that they had just inhabited a second ago.

The three orbed back in at the other end of the boat behind him.

Piper waved her hands and blew a hole in the bottom of the boat just beneath Jack's feet. She had been aiming for the beast himself, but it turned out rather lucky, as an inferno burst up through the hole from the River Styx.

Jack winced as he tried to avoid the flames. Fortunately, the boat was still magically suspended so a hole in the boat was apparently not a reason to panic.

He lunged at them with his claws ready to swipe again.

Prue waved her arm and caused Jack to bounce back, while also repelling one of his arms and causing him to scratch himself across the cheek.

Now more furious than ever, he charged towards them once more.

"Don't freeze him" Prue told Piper, "I have an idea."

Piper nodded. She couldn't ensure a freeze anyway. She was gradually beginning to get a grip on her new explosion power, but it was still very temperamental and since she activated both of her magical abilities the same way, it made it difficult to separate the two.

Prue focused on Jack as he hurtled towards them, screeching with rage. The moment he got too close for comfort, Prue lifted her arms. Jack was lifted off his feet, but kept up his forward momentum; causing him to fly right over them and head first into the River Styx.

Piper looked down at the flames. "You did it!"

Piper nearly jumped out of her skin as Jack burst from under the fire, roaring and slashing the air. "How the hell do you tread water when there's no water?"

"We need to get out of here now!" Leo insisted.

Prue waved an arm and the ferry continued to move forward on its journey. Prue looked straight on, determined to get to Phoebe as soon as possible, so the boat moved a lot faster than it did with Charon.

Jack watched as they left him behind and sank into the fire, defeated.

"I'm sorry my liege" Charon said. She stood beside The Source and Klea as they watched Prue, Piper and Leo sailing in the glass of a mirror.

"No need Charon. I didn't expect a vulgar simpleton like him to defeat them. I just wanted to see their determination in action."

"They will get to Phoebe now. I can't imagine they'll have much trouble with the guards" Klea spoke up.

"Indeed. So eagerly they crawl into my web. They don't realise how tangled they are already. Foolish girls" The Source mocked.

"Is it time?" Klea asked.

"It is."

Cole prepared himself in his prison for what was about to come. He could feel the The Source approaching. Being half demon meant that he was able to sense The Source's essence. It wasn't like when a whitelighter sensed a charge, or when someone felt the presence of a spirit. No, this was something else entirely. It was difficult to describe, but whenever The Source was near, one was filled with a feeling of…hopelessness would probably be the most fitting word. An undeniable and cruel nothingness within the very soul.

The Source materialised before him.

"Please. I know what you're thinking of doing to me and I am begging you, please don't"

Cole looked into the darkness within The Source's hood. The fact that his face was hidden made him all the more insidious. Impossible to read; who would know if ever a sign of weakness showed?

"Your task, Belthazor, was to bring about the destruction of The Charmed Ones. I fully intend for you to fulfil that task."

"Are her sisters coming?" he asked.

"They are."

Cole looked sternly at The Source. "They will defeat you."

"I can see into the witches' souls, Belthazor. They are unaware of trouble that lies ahead. They will lose."

Prue, Piper and Leo ran towards the dungeons. They saw various doors before them.

"Which one is it?" Prue wondered.

Before they had a chance to look any further, three demons shimmered in their way. The first demon threw an energy ball at Prue and she quickly deflected it with her power, vanquishing him instantly.

Prue ran past the demons. "Fend them off, I'll check inside!"

The second demon shot a lightning bolt at Piper. She instinctively raised her hands and the bolt froze in mid-air. Piper sighed. "Finally, thank you!" The demon approached her. "Okay, now blow him up", she waved her hands at the demon and he obediently exploded. The force of the blast knocked Piper backwards and she lay against the wall unconscious.

"Piper!" Leo cried, but couldn't rush to heal her, as the third demon came after him with a fire ball.

Meanwhile, Prue looked at one of the steel doors. She closed her eyes and projected her astral body into the prison. She looked around at the horrible conditions and almost screamed with relief when she saw Phoebe led on the ground. She pulled her astral-self back to her physical body and turned to see what was happening behind her.

Leo orbed out, so the fire ball just missed him. He orbed back in behind the demon, picked up a rock and managed to knock him unconscious by beating him on the back of the head with it. Leo ran over to Piper right after and began to heal her.

"She okay?" Prue asked.

"She'll be fine" Leo reassured, his golden healing light doing its job.

They gasped as Cole shimmered in. He fell to the floor and coughed up a little blood.

"Oh my God, Cole!" Prue ran towards him and helped him up.

"So glad you guys are here" he wheezed. "They said you were coming, so I just about managed to fight them off to get to you."

"Don't worry, we found Phoebe," Prue made sure he was upright before she turned back to the door and waved her arm. Every lock was dismantled as it forcefully swung open.

Prue slowly approached her sister, who hadn't moved from the ground. Piper, Leo and Cole soon followed Prue inside.

"Phoebe?" Prue said softly.

Phoebe looked at her big sister. Her eyes were swollen and her face was expressionless. "You're not Prue. It's just another trick."

Prue looked worried. "Sweetie, it's us. Look, Piper and Leo are here too. We're taking you home."

Phoebe shook her head, almost violently. "No."

Piper came in closer to her sister. "Phoebe, honey, we've missed you."

Phoebe shook her head again, her eyes filling up. She'd done so much crying already that it made her eyes burn. "No, you're not here. He's toying with me. He won't let me go home."

Prue and Piper struggled to keep it together as their baby sister began to weep. Prue gently wiped a tear from her sister's cheek. She looked to Piper. "Hold her hand."

Piper did so, while Prue held Phoebe's other.

"The Power of Three will set us free" Prue chanted.

"The Power of Three will set us free" Piper followed.

The witches looked to their sister. Phoebe took a deep breath. "The Power of Three will set us free." It was more of a whimper than a chant, but it seemed to do the trick.

A golden triquetra appeared on the ground next to them. They looked at it glow as it lit up the room.

No longer doubting that she was with her sisters, Phoebe allowed them to help her to her feet. She saw Cole. "You're alive?"

Cole smiled: "You know I'd never leave you like this."

Prue held a hand over the triquetra. "Take us from where the evils roam, open the portal and send us home." The triquetra flared and opened up into a portal. Unlike Klea's, this was light blue and sparkled with white lights.

The three sisters, reunited, held onto each other tightly as they jumped into the portal. Leo patted Cole on the back and followed soon after. Cole looked around, smirked and was the last to jump in. The portal and the triquetra disappeared into the ground as the last person in the room faded into it.

Phoebe stared into the mirror on the dresser in her bedroom. Cole came in and sat beside her.

"How are you doing?" he asked, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not sure yet" she said, not taking her eyes off her reflection. She at least felt better physically, simply because she had been able to shower and use her own bathroom; things she expected she would never take for granted again.

There was a knock on the door. Prue and Piper walked in. Piper held a tray of various pastries that she had made from scratch.

"Hey, brought you some treats" Piper announced cheerily.

Cole looked to Phoebe. "I'll give you guys some sister time"

Cole left the room.

Phoebe hopped onto her bed and Piper lay the tray down in front of her. The sisters sat next to each other.

"How are you feeling?" Prue looked concerned.

"Okay" Phoebe nodded unconvincingly.

Prue and Piper didn't say anything.

Phoebe sighed. "I'm still half expecting to wake up back in that place."

Piper felt ashamed. "I'm sorry we couldn't get to you sooner."

Phoebe looked down at the food in front of her. "I really started to think I wouldn't see you again." Phoebe found herself in floods of tears again. Her sisters held her. "Oh, I need to stop crying, my eyes are like sandpaper!"

"You know what?" Prue began, "you cry all you want." Prue stood up. "Remember what we said when we first found out we were witches?"

Phoebe nodded. "We said we'd be careful…"

"We'd be wise…" Piper continued.

"And that we'd stick together," Prue emphasised. "I think maybe we should keep that last part in mind a little more. We will never be separated like that again. Understood?"

Piper and Phoebe nodded.

"Damn right. Sisters forever" Piper smiled.

Prue looked at her two younger sisters; so happy to have the family back together. "Maybe we should give you some time to eat. We're just downstairs okay?"

"Okay" Phoebe said.

Prue and Piper locked their arms around Phoebe from either side of her. Phoebe giggled, enveloped in the love of her family.

"Love you" the three sisters said in unison.

Prue and Piper left the room. Cole was waiting outside.

"Sister time help?" he asked.

"I think so" Prue nodded.

Piper sensed a little tension. "I'm going to… cook more things", she quickly left.

Left alone, Prue and Cole looked at each other. "How are you? Sucks that Leo can't heal you up properly."

"Ah it's fine, I've survived worse."

"Have you? Things seemed pretty rough down there."

"I'm just glad Phoebe safe."

Prue nodded. She was never exactly comfortable around Cole, but something was more off than usual. Maybe he was just shaken like Phoebe, but internalising more.

"I have to admit, I expected more of a fight. It's lucky that you managed to get away just as we got to the dungeon."

Cole didn't respond.

"Just remember that we're here Cole"

Cole braced himself, wondering if that was a threat.

"For Phoebe and for you" Prue finished.

"Oh" Cole relaxed. "Thank you, I appreciate that."

Prue turned away and headed downstairs. Her instincts were telling her that something wasn't quite right, but they all needed to rest before they could think or act clearly.

Phoebe was asleep in bed. Cole led next to her. He stroked her hair and smiled.

"Phoebe. Sweet Phoebe" he hissed. He leaned into her a smelled her neck, allowing the tip of his tongue to brush against her skin. "How I look forward to getting so much closer to your precious family."

Cole's eyes blackened and a sinister grin crossed his face.

Phoebe was far too tired to be wakened; she slept, blissfully unaware of the evil that led next to her. The Source of All Evil was in her home; in her bed.

He breathed heavily next to her as she rested.

Next time on "Charmed"-

'The Normal Life'

As the fallout from "All Hell Breaks Loose" intensifies and the future becomes more and more uncertain, Piper is given the ultimate choice at the worst possible time.


	3. The Normal Life

**Charmed  
Season 4, Episode 3  
"The Normal Life"  
By P3Nathan**

It was 10.30pm and Piper Halliwell sat up on top of her bed covers, writing in her diary. The young witch looked troubled and not just because her husband had been called by a panicked charge moments earlier. She jotted down her feelings in the small notebook, having neglected her writing for at least a couple of months:

'Not really sure where to begin. I wish I was a better diary keeper, but I guess I only feel the urge to write in it at times like this; times when I'm feeling kind of lost. I'll start on a positive; we got Phoebe back. At least I think we did. She was held by The Source and she hasn't really spoken about what happened down there. She seems fine physically, as far as we can tell. Emotionally… well that's another story. I guess it's still early; I should give her more time. It's just as if a light in her has gone out.'

Piper sighed, brushing her long brown hair away from her face. She looked towards the ceiling for a moment and thought before continuing to write:

'As for me… honestly, I'm struggling a little. I can't tell my sisters with everything they're going through; I guess that's why I'm writing it in here. It pales in comparison to what Phoebe has suffered and Prue has been doing better since we got her back, but her anger hasn't settled yet, so I don't want to add any stress.

'A few weeks ago, I died. Leo told me. Apparently I was shot by some random nut-job. Time was reset shortly after and that's how Phoebe ended up stuck in the Underworld. It's weird, because I don't remember anything about it, but it's been weighing on me ever since I found out. It's not the first time I've died, but this one is harder to process for some reason. Leo has been very attentive, which is sweet, but also really bizarre when I think of why that is.

'If I hadn't been killed, would Phoebe have taken The Source's offer? Did I fail them? Prue and Phoebe have always been the super witches; sometimes I wonder if they'd be better off without me. I think back to before all this started; before we discovered our destiny and I'm not sure I even recognise that person anymore.

'Actually no, scratch that. I recognise her; it's the "me" now that I'm not sure about. I want to be her again, but how can I be after everything we've been through? With all this magic and horror and pain and death; how can she still survive? I wish I was normal again. Sometimes I feel like I just don't belong in this world.'

Piper let go of the pen, allowing it to fall onto her lap. The offload of emotion was rather tiring. She didn't necessarily feel better, but she thought that perhaps she'd sleep a little easier having put the words to paper. She shut the book, thereby closing the issue for the night and laid back on her bed. She closed her eyes, hoping that her dreams would bring comfort rather than further anxieties.

Phoebe Halliwell got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. It was the latest in a succession of restless nights. She thought that once she got back from the Underworld that she'd have no trouble sleeping; back in her comfy bed. However, it seemed her desire to be back to normality in the comforts of home didn't quite match her body's internal clock and processes. She found herself wide awake through the night and often falling asleep on the sofa during the day time. It didn't really help matters that she was keeping her bedroom light on; not quite ready to be in the dark again yet.

In the bathroom, she went to the sink to wash her hands. She looked in the mirror at her haunted-looking expression and weary eyes. As she looked down and saw the sink filling with water, her mind suddenly flashed and the sink turned into the dirty bowl of water on the floor of her prison. She looked around and found herself back in the cell. Her heartbeat began to race; pounding so hard she thought she might be sick from the sensation. She ran towards the stone walls and bashed her hand against them; she did the same with the steel door.

"Prue!" she called frantically. "Piper!"

Phoebe let out a scream and huddled in the corner. She held her head in her arms, whimpering and shaking.

"Phoebe?" Prue's voice echoed.

Phoebe looked up and saw her oldest sister kneeling down in front of her, looking deeply concerned. Phoebe struggled to catch her breath as she realised she was back in the bathroom and looked around at what she'd done.

Piper ran into the bathroom soon after, shocked to see the mirror smashed and various bath products thrown and spilled around the room. She joined her sisters down on the floor in the corner.

"Am I here?" Phoebe choked through the tears. "I'm definitely here?"

"You're here, baby," Prue crooned before promising, "We won't let them take you again."

"Oh, honey." Piper gently took hold of her little sister's hands. They were bleeding badly, but Phoebe hadn't even felt it in the midst of her episode. "I think we have a first-aid kit in here somewhere."

"I'm sorry," Phoebe cried.

Prue shook her head as tears formed behind her eyes. She held her sister tightly, feeling her quivering in her arms. She pulled Piper into her embrace as well. "We're going to be okay. I promise."

In the mausoleum, The Source of All Evil stood waiting patiently. Wearing the body of Cole Turner was quite an adjustment; hardly as intimidating as his usual appearance, but the joy of hiding in plain sight right in front of the Halliwell sisters made it more than worth it.

Two red eyes shimmered in prior to the rest of Klea's body. She bowed, holding a box in her hands.

She handed the old wooden box over to him. "Here is what you asked for, my liege."

"Thank you, Klea. I am trusting you to take care of matters while I am up here." He smiled at the box. "With this, I may not need to spend too long with the Charmed Ones."

"Are you targeting the middle-sister this time?"

"Yes," he replied. "Her soul is filled with wanting. Playing on that should be easy. You are dismissed, " and Klea shimmered out.

The Source stroked the box lid. His hand, or rather Cole's hand, suddenly began to shift from normal flesh colour, to the deep red of Belthazor's skin.

The Source smirked. "Oh, Belthazor, you really think you can fight through me, even with your demonic form? Foolish boy."

His hand went back to normal.

"Allow me to make you a deal." The Source lay the box down for a moment and held out his hand. In his palm, a glowing white sphere appeared in a burst of flames. "Your father; safe and sound. All being well, you can have him back once this is all over. Keep annoying me with that faint little voice of yours and I will send him to Charon. I'm sure she can find a suitable hell for him to spend eternity."

The soul disappeared; The Source had made his point.

"Now, let's make the most of our time together, shall we?" He picked up the box and flamed out.

(Opening Credits)

Piper washed her hair in the shower. She had just finished tidying the bathroom so allowed herself a little longer than usual. She closed her eyes and allowed the warm water to splash on her face; imagining the droplets washing away her worries.

If only.

She took a bar of soap and began to clean her body; cocooning herself in a veil of soapy lather. She held the soap to her chest and stopped suddenly. She thought she felt something. She put the soap down and used her hand to check. She brushed her palm over smooth skin until she felt something odd. She felt a small lump just between her breast and underarm.

For a moment, Piper felt her heart jump into her throat. She washed the area, thinking that maybe she hadn't been hygienic enough and it was just a big zit. Right, that must've been it; nothing to worry about. It'd probably be gone by the next morning.

Piper went downstairs to see Prue in the kitchen.

"Morning," Prue greeted, holding a plate of toast.

"Morning. How's Phoebe?" Piper asked, begging for a distraction from her current source of anxiety.

"Sleeping." The eldest sister took a bite of her breakfast before continuing. "Think it took her all night to calm down. I was going to reschedule my photo shoot and stay with her, but she insisted that I don't."

Piper sat down. "Well, Cole will be back soon, won't he?"

"Hm," Prue shrugged.

"What?" Piper raised her eyebrow.

Prue sat beside Piper. "It's just Cole seems to have handled it extremely well, don't you think? I mean look at how Phoebe is, and then look at him."

"Well, Prue, Cole knows the Underworld, and I daresay he's used to some of the worst demonic horrors given what The Book of Shadows says about him." She then theorized, "By this point he's probably hardened to it to an extent."

"I guess. Maybe I'm just looking for somewhere to put my frustration; I wish I could do more for Phoebe, but I feel pretty powerless."

Prue sighed. "Still…I think I'll keep an eye on him so long as he's around."

"Probably wise," Piper nodded. There was no denying that when it came to Cole, 'better safe than sorry' was a good motto to live by.

Prue looked at her watch. "I'd better go. You off to the club?"

Piper thought for a second as she saw Phoebe's laptop on the table. "Um, yeah, I might just run a few errands first."

Prue kissed her sister's cheek. "Okay, see you later. Love you."

"Love you too."

As soon as Prue had gone, Piper switched on Phoebe's laptop. As it loaded, she dialed a number into her cell phone.

"Hey Leo, are you at P3? Okay, I'll be a little later than I expected, apparently the traffic is really bad. No, you don't need to orb me; it's fine. You just do what you can; I'll be there as soon as possible. Okay, bye."

She began typing on the laptop and searching the internet. She started with "lump near breast" and was overwhelmed with thousands of support sites. She began to feel sick with worry, but decided to focus on the note that said it could just be a "benign cyst".

Either way, it suggested she make a doctor's appointment, so she got back on the phone and did just that. Appointment made, she continued searching; clicking from site to site through various links. She quickly realised that this probably wasn't the best idea. Words and phrases popped out to her and seared themselves into her mind: "malignant", "chemotherapy", "radiotherapy", "side effects", "surgery", "hair loss", "infertility."

She quickly switched the laptop off before any more terrible words or images could imprint on her. She sat in silence for a moment. 'It's probably just a 'benign cyst', I don't feel ill,' she thought. 'Go to work; there's no point staying here and worrying.'

Piper made her way to P3. The journey there was weird; different. She did it near enough every day, but suddenly the world through her car windscreen seemed rather surreal and dreamlike. She was welcomed by her smiling husband behind the bar.

"Hey, everything is sorted for tonight's band," he chirped. "So no need to worry about anything."

Piper smiled, overwhelmed by her love for him. "Thanks, honey. I don't know what I'd do without you. How was your charge last night?"

"I managed to calm her down and help clean up the mess; it was just a bit of power drama. She just recently found out that she's a witch and she has the power to shoot lava from her hands when she's stressed… so property damage is a pretty regular thing at the moment. You know what that's like."

Piper thought of all the objects around the house that had fallen victim to her explosion power. "I sure do."

Leo looked at Piper and sensed something wasn't quite right. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You seem a little spaced. Something on your mind?"

Piper took a minute to figure out how to verbalise her concerns. "Well, on the way over here I was thinking… before time was reset, I was dead. As in: no healing, no heartbeat, soul has left the building, right?"

Leo winced a little thinking back to it. Part of him wished he could've joined Piper and Prue in forgetting the whole ordeal, but then he wouldn't have been able to fix the damage that could still occur. He nodded. "Right."

"Well, does that mean that Death will come back for me? When it's your time, you can't escape it, we've learned that. So, if I died and you fixed it…"

Leo interrupted: "Whoa, wait, no. Piper, resetting time changes the circumstances. Like when you've dealt with time loops in the past. Resetting the events means that the slate should be more or less clean."

Piper paused for a moment. "Should?"

"What?"

"The slate 'should' be clean, but that means it might not be?"

Leo shook his head, concerned and disturbed at what his wife was trying to say.

Before the conversation could continue, a blonde woman in her early thirties walked down the stairs to the club. [Portrayed by Monica Potter]

"Sorry, we're closed" Leo told her.

"I'm here to see Piper Halliwell; it's important."

Piper turned around. "That's me. How can I help you?"

The woman looked like she meant business. "I'm Sinead. Sinead Griffiths."

Piper felt a chill as the name rang a bell in her mind and she thought back to the innocent they had recently lost. "Griffiths. You're Doctor Griffiths'…"

"Sister" she completed.

"I… I'm so sorry for your loss," Piper stuttered. She was so tempted to freeze her, but then what? Run away? Disappearing into thin air right in front of an innocent would be a great way to end up exposed all over again!

"Hmm, about that," Sinead began; her tone suggesting that she didn't buy into the authenticity of Piper's attempt at condolence. "I couldn't help but wonder why he was at your house. Dedicated as he was, the hospital seemed to keep him a little too busy for him to be making house calls in the middle of the day."

"Um, well… I had a personal health issue that I was told he might be able to help with, um…"

Sinead grew impatient with Piper's stammering. "You know he did research in his spare time? He was so excited about it. He kept the details to himself; didn't want to jinx anything; but it seemed like he thought he was on the verge of some sort of huge medical discovery."

Leo nodded, figuring that Griffiths was indeed about to make such a discovery and that was probably why he had become a target for evil. "It sounds like he was a good man," he said sincerely; sadly thinking back to his failed attempt to heal the doctor.

"He was," Sinead responded, teary eyed. "Then he was found brutally murdered in your home."

"We were knocked unconscious… and what happened to him, you can't possibly think that we…" Piper pleaded.

"Oh, I don't think you killed him. He was thrown like a rag doll according to the autopsy; hit by a huge amount of force. But I do think you know more than you're admitting," and she looked Piper right in the eyes.

Piper silently gulped. She wondered if it was really obvious how nervous she was; whether her forehead was sweating.

"And that's why I'll be keeping a close eye on the investigation; making sure a fire stays lit underneath the detectives. I've heard about you and your family, Ms. Halliwell, and I can assure you; this won't be another unsolved case."

With that, Sinead stormed back up the stairs.

"Wow, she was intense," Leo commented. "Not that I can blame her." That's when he looked at his wife more closely. "Piper, are you okay?"

Piper didn't move. Leo came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Talk to me."

Piper felt a heaviness on her heart and mind. "It's just one thing after another. I keep waiting for being a witch to get easier…" She sighed. "When can we have a little peace?"

At the Manor, The Source let himself through the front door. He held the box close to his chest as he looked around to see if anyone was nearby. He kneeled down on the floor and placed the box in front of him. He slowly opened to lid to reveal a large spider. It had strange markings that sparkled slightly, suggesting that the creature wasn't of this world. The Source smiled as it scuttled around the box and watched as it freed itself. It climbed quickly up the wall and onto the ceiling; heading towards the staircase.

Phoebe opened her eyes and squinted at the midday light. Her unconventional sleeping pattern had taken a toll on her body and she somehow felt more worn out for having slept through half the day. She looked at her bandaged hands and suddenly remembered the bathroom incident. For a moment she thought it had been a bad dream. She knew that the difficulty she was having separating her imagination from reality probably wasn't a good sign, but she felt too lethargic to worry about it too much. She smiled a little as her boyfriend walked into the bedroom; blissfully unaware of what evil was actually entering her personal space.

"Hey," she said softly. "Where've you been?"

"I thought it'd be better if I stayed away just to make sure no bounty hunters were coming after me," The Source lied. "It seems like we're okay for now."

"Good," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Because I could really do with you being here."  
The Source sat beside her and brushed her arm and then stroked her hair. "I'm here," and he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not going anywhere."

It was odd. As Phoebe led within Cole's arms, she felt a great hopelessness within her. However, the way Phoebe had been feeling generally, she didn't think much of it.

Piper entered the Manor looking like she was about to cry. She was soaked, with huge red stains on her clothes. Prue followed in soon after, carrying a large back containing her photography equipment.

"Hey, you have to see some of these photos; I got some really great…whoa" Prue stopped as she saw the state her sister was in. "What happened; are you okay?"

"Doctor Griffith's sister showed up at P3," Piper started griping. "She looked about one step away from leaving a horse's head in my bed."

"So she tried to drown you?" Prue asked, half-joking.

"No, I got so stressed out that I blew up a bunch of wine bottles… the really expensive ones by the way - not the cheap stuff," she ranted. "And of course they had to be red!"

"Okay, okay, sweetie, breathe. I'll call Darryl, see if he knows anything about the sister. We'll deal, okay?"

Piper nodded, clearly unconvinced. "I'm going to change."

Prue watched as her sister ran upstairs. She sighed; she wished so much that she could make her sisters' worries disappear, but she knew that despite all the power she had, it wasn't going to be that easy.

Piper felt a little better after she had cleaned herself up. In order to get the strong smell of wine off her, she had her second shower of the day. She looked in the mirror as she blow-dried her hair. The noise meant that she didn't hear the huge spider's rapid steps, scuttling across her dresser. It moved towards Piper's left arm, which was resting on the surface as she dried her hair with the right. The creature was cautious, as if to make sure she didn't have too much time to react. It gently approached her arm; revealed a nasty couple of fangs and bit into her. Piper dropped the blow drier and instantly flopped over the dresser, unconscious.

Piper woke up in bed, her alarm clock ringing beside her. She knocked it off and turned to see Leo still asleep. She was confused - hadn't she just been doing something? Everything felt a little hazy. She looked around at her bedroom. Was it her bedroom? It wasn't the Manor house she had grown up in. It was decidedly more modern-looking, while still maintaining quite a cozy, homey feel.

She rubbed her eyes. She felt odd; maybe she'd been having weird dreams.

Piper nearly jumped out of her skin as her bedroom door swung open and a little girl, who couldn't have been older than four or five, came running in excitedly. She jumped up onto the end of the bed and bounced on her knees.

"Mommy, Daddy, get up, get up. It's Mommy's birthday!" the girl announced; her little pig tails jumping up and down with her.

Leo woke up and smiled at her. "Do you want to go and get Mommy her present?"

The girl's eyes widened with excitement and she ran straight back out of the room.

Both Piper and Leo laughed.

Leo kissed Piper. "Happy birthday. You make a wish?"

Piper smiled. "Just all of this."

Prue and Leo sat either side of an unconscious Piper, who they had managed to get into bed with the combined efforts of Leo's orbing and Prue's telekinesis.

"Try again," Prue insisted.

Leo held his hands over Piper and the golden light of his healing power emerged. He waited patiently and hopefully for Piper's body to react at least a little, but nothing changed. "Still nothing, but I can feel something when I try to heal her; it's like something is draining her energy."

Prue was worried. She took hold of her sister's hand and noticed something unusual. On her sister's wrist was a strange tattoo. It was shaped like a spider. Prue pointed out the mark to Leo. "What the hell is this?"

Leo looked puzzled. "She didn't say anything about getting a new tattoo."

'She wouldn't,' Prue thought. 'Piper can't stand spiders."

Phoebe and Cole walked into the room. "How is she?" Phoebe asked, concerned. "Any change?"

Prue shook her head. "No, nothing."

The Source stood behind Phoebe and tried very hard not to smirk. He still occasionally had to remind himself that he had a face people could actually see now. Things were so much easier when his face was hidden in his cowl. But this was so much more fun.

Prue stood up. "We found some sort of spider symbol on her wrist. Can you sit with her; I'm going to look for it in The Book."

Phoebe nodded as she took Prue's place sitting close to their sister. "Of course."

Piper was in the kitchen of her stylish home, preparing food with her little girl beside her.

"Okay, Melinda," she instructed, "you just give that a good stir."

Melinda was happy to oblige, enthusiastically stirring the mixture.

Leo came in. "I told you I could get people from the restaurant to take care of that, you shouldn't be cooking on your birthday."

"But Mommy likes to cook," Melinda chirped, "and I get to be her assistant!"

Piper smiled, "That's right, I couldn't do it without my trusted sous-chef." She turned to look at Leo. "So it's just the closest friends and family, right?"

Leo nodded. "Right. Your mom and dad, your sisters, Grams and Darryl."

"Sounds perfect."

Prue stood in front of The Book of Shadows, having discovered a page decorated in an art deco style with spider imagery. She grabbed The Book and took it back to Piper's bedroom.

"I found something," she told them. "There were only two entries that involved spiders. The other was Arachne and, well, nobody has actually been turned into a spider, so I doubt that's relevant."

"So what is it we're dealing with?" Phoebe wanted to know.

Prue placed The Book opened on the end of Piper's bed. "They're called Dream Weavers."

"Dream Weavers?" Leo repeated.

"Yeah, don't let the cute name fool you, they're nasty little critters," and Prue skimmed The Book entry again.

Phoebe looked at Cole. "You heard of them?"

The Source shook his head. "Hm? No, I'm afraid not."

Prue read aloud: "Dream Weavers target people who aren't happy with their own lives. Once they've bitten the target, they become a part of them; turning into that tattoo…"

Phoebe backed away from the mark on Piper's arm, suddenly worried that the tattoo would jump out at her.

Prue continued reading: "The victim falls into a deep sleep and they experience a dream of a life that they desire. Piper has twenty-four hours to reject the fantasy."

"Or…" Leo pushed.

Prue reluctantly finished. "Or… the creature will devour her soul."

"Well, Piper will know it's a dream, right?" Phoebe wagered.

"Not necessarily," and Prue imparted the knowledge she'd gained by reading the rest of the entry. "That's why these things are so dangerous. The magic of the Dream Weaver makes the fantasy as vivid as anything and it also seriously dampens memories of her real life," and she rolled her eyes. "The Book says she will have access to her real life somewhere in the fantasy, but it doesn't elaborate."

"What about the awakening spell?" Phoebe suggested.

Leo shook his head. "We won't be able to force her to wake up. Maybe we can find a way to help her, but she'll have to choose real life."" Leo reached out to hold his wife's hand. "This is her battle."

In the fantasy, Piper got dressed in her bedroom. She put on a strapless black dress and wore her hair down. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, excited to see her family and friends. As she applied some lipstick, she noticed a small brown box in the mirror. She couldn't recall what was inside it and for some reason she was overwhelmed with a sudden curiosity. She turned around and looked at the box. She slowly approached it, but as she got closer and closer the feeling changed from curiosity to utter dread. She fought through the feeling at first, but as she got very close to it, every fibre of her being told her not to open the lid. Just as she was about to turn away from the box, she heard the doorbell ring anyway.

Piper ran downstairs and opened the door and was thrilled to see her first couple of guests had arrived. It was her parents, Patty and Victor; happily married and ready to celebrate their daughter's birthday. The couple embraced Piper and she glowed in the warmth of their love.

Leo finished healing Phoebe's hands.

"Thanks. I'm just going to get a glass of water, anyone want anything?" Phoebe offered the bedroom of worried faces.

"No," Prue answered. "Thanks, honey," and watched Phoebe leave.

Leo immediately went back to holding Piper's hand. "It's weird, earlier today, Piper was talking to me about what happened before time reset."

"What about it?" The Source asked, his interest piqued.

"She was talking about death. How she died. It's as if she was expecting something bad to happen"

Prue laid a hand on Leo's shoulder. "We'll get her back. We still have plenty of time."

"I dunno," The Source began wishfully thinking. "Visions of a perfect life? That can't be easy to turn down."

Prue looked at Cole and The Source became nervous as he could practically see the lightbulb over her head.

"Visions! That's it!" Prue shouted. "I have an idea…" but suddenly Prue didn't look as confident.

Leo immediately noticed. "You don't look too happy about it."

"Well, it pretty much relies entirely on Phoebe and that's a lot of pressure to put on her," Prue explained. Little did she realise, Phoebe had re-entered the room.

"That's okay," Phoebe reassured her sister. "If there's a way I can help Piper, I'll do it. What's the plan?"

Prue smiled. She should've known better than to underestimate the inner strength of her baby sister.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you…"

Everyone around the dining table of Piper's home was singing to her. Piper had a grin the size of Texas across her face as she listened to them. Around the table sat Melinda, Leo, Prue, Phoebe, Patty, Victor, Penny and Darryl. A cake sat in the centre of the table, covered with lit candles, and as the serenade came to a close, Piper blew out the candles to rounds of applause.

"Yay," Melinda cheered. "Cake time!"

Leo giggled, "Okay, come help Daddy cut a really big piece for Mommy."

Melinda ran over to Leo's side and held onto his hands as he cut the cake.

"Very impressive cake, Grams," Prue complimented.

"Thank you, although Patty did assist," Penny had to admit.

Patty laughed. "Right, emphasis on 'assist', I'm afraid the culinary gene skipped a generation." She winked at Piper, beaming with pride.

"Don't sell yourself short, sweetie, nobody will ever beat your pancakes and waffles," and Victor kissed her on the cheek.

Phoebe turned to Piper. "How is the restaurant doing?"

"Oh, it's perfect," Piper smiled. "A lot of hard work obviously, but I have a great team and I'm living my dream." She smiled as Melinda placed a slice of cake in front of her. "Thank you, angel; that looks delicious."

"I'm glad it's worked out so well for you, darling." Penny raised her glass.

Darryl, reaching for his own glass, knocked over a wine glass and it spilled onto the table. "Aw, sorry. My bad."

Piper got out of her seat. "Don't worry about it, it's…" Her expression glazed over a little as she looked at the wine stain on the table cloth.

"You okay?" Leo asked.

Piper snapped out if it. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a weird sense of déjà vu. I'll get something to clean it up."

Phoebe knelt at Piper's side, while Prue knelt at the other.

"I'm not sure I understand what you're planning," The Source pouted, sensing that the sisters were indeed onto something.

"You know that Phoebe has made psychic links before," Prue reminded Cole. "There was this thing with a succubus and you know about the whole Bo thing last year."

"Right," The Source lied.

Prue continued, now talking to Phoebe. "You could see what they saw; feel what they felt. So maybe you can get into Piper's mind and remind her of what she needs to fight for."

Phoebe looked nervous. "I'll try, but I've never linked with someone on command before, just taken advantage when it's happened unintentionally."

"I know," and Prue looked at their sleeping sister. "But I'm hoping the sisterly connection you already have might compensate for that."

Phoebe nodded. She took Piper's hand and clasped hers around it. She closed her eyes and focused on her love for her sister and all the good they'd done together. She attempted to reach out with her mind and hoped for the best.

Piper stood in the kitchen and rooted through the cupboards for something to clean up the wine stain and hopefully salvage the tablecloth, a wedding present from her parents. She could hear the chatting and the laughing from the dining room and was eager to get back.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She felt strange; a vibration in her head.

She shook it off and didn't think anything of it.

But then she felt it again, this time more intense and she gasped as images flashed through her mind.

She saw a photo of herself with her sisters, standing close together. She saw herself with them, hand in hand, surrounded by a tornado and fighting off a knife-wielding warlock. She saw herself with Leo; she was wearing a wedding dress, as he threw a shower of sparkling golden lights into the air.

She doubled over as the images ceased. All the images brought Piper an intense feeling of déjà vu; but surely that couldn't have been real. She must have had an instant moment of insanity. Yet, despite all of her doubts, she suddenly remembered that brown box in her room and the urge to open it bubbled inside her again.

"Piper, you okay?" Leo called from the dining room.

"Yeah, fine," she responded. "Just going to get something from my bedroom. I'll just be a second."

Prue watched as Phoebe let go of Piper's hand. Phoebe looked uncertain. "Any luck?" she hopefully asked.

"I'm not sure," Phoebe admitted. "I felt a connection, but I'm not certain I got through."

The Source smirked.

Leo frowned.

"Okay, well maybe give it a moment." Prue remained optimistic.

Phoebe wasn't satisfied. "No."

Prue looked at her expression. "Huh?"

Phoebe looked Prue in the eye, determined. "I can do better," and she took Piper's hand once again, but this time, she also took Prue's hand.

Back in her fantasy world, Piper walked upstairs and entered her bedroom. The box was still there; exactly where she had spotted it before and once again the feeling of curiosity was overwhelming. She got closer and closer to the box and yet again, the closer she got, the more the fear set in. She came so close, her fingertips very nearly touching the lid, but the dread in her heart was just too much. She backed away and sighed, disappointed in herself. She turned around and was about to walk back downstairs to the party when her mind was flooded with more visions.

This time, she saw faces that seemed familiar.

She saw her old friend Brittany being attacked by an ancient-looking demonic man with glowing red eyes; and then suddenly the scene flashed to Brittany on her wedding day, her smile lighting up the room.

She then saw Maggie Murphy about to jump off a building, while a bald, suited man whispered dark thoughts behind her; this flashed to show Maggie caring for elderly residents in a care home and opening up a counselling centre.

Her mind flashed with several faces, of people saved by The Charmed Ones. She was seeing lives that would have otherwise been cut short. She was seeing the good and the happiness. The vision ended and Piper stood astonished as her true life came back into her memory.

"Phoebe?" She thought that must have been where the vision came from. Not only had the images been transmitted to her successfully, so had the sentiment behind them. Piper knew what she had to do.  
She turned back around and was about to force herself to open the box when a little voice came up behind her.

"Mommy, are you coming back downstairs?"

Piper looked at the little girl and her heart broke.

Phoebe opened her eyes and let go of her sisters.

"How about that time?" Prue asked expectantly.

Phoebe smiled. "Yep, that time I definitely got through."

The Source scowled as Prue and Leo grinned.

Phoebe looked at Piper. "Just hope it was enough."

Piper stood before her little girl. "Sweetie, I'm not going to be able to finish the party."

Melinda looked disappointed. "What do you mean? Why not?"

Piper steadied herself, trying to keep her emotions in check. "Because there's somewhere I need to be. A job I need to do."

Melinda looked more upset. "Did we not make the party nice enough for you, Mommy?"

Piper got a little choked up by her sad voice and knelt down to her level. "You made it absolutely perfect. I couldn't have asked for a nicer party. You made me so proud."

"Then why not stay?"

A tear rolled down Piper's cheek. "Because now I have to be the Mommy you deserve… and that means helping to fight for a better world. As hard as it might be; it's for a world where you can grow up happy and safe."

"I don't understand," the little girl sobbed.

"Oh, sweetheart, I guess I only just worked it out myself," and she kissed Melinda on the cheek.

"Will I ever see you again?"

Piper nodded. "Now that I'm ready to fight for my dreams, you can count on it."

Piper got up and walked determinedly towards the box. She felt the same emotions as before, but this time she moved so fast that she didn't allow it time to slow her down. She flung the box lid open and out of it burst a veil of blackness that surrounded her. She looked around. Everything had gone, the room, Melinda.

She was in utter darkness.

She felt the dread she had felt before and remembered everything in her life that caused her such anxiety. She sighed.

But then Piper noticed something. She looked up and saw that countless stars were glimmering above her. Each tiny light made her feel a little bit better in the darkness until eventually the blackness that surrounded her wasn't so scary anymore.

She smiled, finally acknowledging the amount of love and support she had in her real life.

Piper sprung up in her bed and gasped loudly. Everyone around her looked elated; especially because The Source had left the room earlier.

"You did it!" Phoebe cheered.

Piper looked at her arm as the tattoo began to glow and flicker. It turned back into the Dream Weaver's solid form and jumped to the wall. It was about to scuttle towards the window, but Piper threw out her hand. The creature let out a screech as it burst into a cloud of black particles.

Piper smirked. "Never thought I'd miss being able to do that."

"Nice aim," Prue smiled before pointing out, "You didn't even singe the wall."

The three sisters hugged and Leo embraced his wife immediately after.

"So glad you're back" Leo fawned.

Piper kissed him. "Me too."

In the bathroom, The Source looked at two disembodied red eyes floating in the mirror. "The Dream Weaver failed, I'm afraid I'll be a while longer."

Klea's voice echoed from the mirror. "I'm sorry to hear about the setback, my liege."

"No need to worry. I had hoped targeting the middle sister in her current predicament might speed things along, but my work on the youngest is still in progress. Keep me updated on any going-ons below."

Piper sat in the kitchen with a cup of coffee on the table in front of her.

Leo joined her. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. That was all pretty freaky, but I'm alright. Heck, I think it did me a favour in the long run."

"Really, how so?"

"Well…" Piper took a sip of her coffee and cringed as she realised it had gone cold.  
Leo started to get up. "Oh, I'll brew a new pot."

"Wait," Piper stopped him. "I want to try something." She focused on the coffee cup and held her hands over the liquid. The coffee gently bubbled and steam rose from the cup. Piper smiled, pleased with herself.

"Hey, it didn't explode"

Piper smiled at him. "I think I can control it now… just needed to stop fighting against myself."

Leo looked perplexed.

"I saw the entry for that disgusting spider thing in The Book," Piper started. "It said it targets people who aren't happy with their lives…"

"Well I know you've been stressed with everything that's happened recently, can hardly blame you."

"It's not just that. See, for a long time I've equated a normal life with a perfect life. I've been so wrapped up in pushing against the magic and the demons that I forgot about all the normal problems that normal people have to deal with."

Piper looked down and sighed, preparing herself. "Recently I found a very harsh reminder of that."

Leo looked worried. "Okay."

Piper took his hand. "I don't want anyone else to hear about this until I hear some definite answers. It might be nothing."

"Alright…" Leo gulped.

"I found a lump, so I made a doctor's appointment. I know it's scary, but I'm going to try and think positively. I looked online and it said that…"

Leo sat and listened to his wife. He tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible while his heart dropped. He held Piper's hand tighter than before.

He wasn't about to let go any time soon. 


	4. Crime is of the Essence

**Charmed** **  
** **Season 4, Episode 4** **  
** **Crime is of the Essence** **  
** **By P3Nathan** ****

It was night time and a restless Prue Halliwell sat on the sofa in the Manor living room, flipping through an old photo album. She smiled as she reminisced, looking at various photos of her young self; mostly with her sisters. Despite being reminded of some of the questionable fashion choices of her youth, she had successfully calmed her agitated mind.

Piper entered the room with a cup of something steaming. "Hey, sleepless night for you too?"

"Yeah, it's looking that way. I just can't seem to switch off at the moment. At least Phoebe seems to be doing okay tonight."

Piper sat across from her sister. "I was starting to worry how it might affect her physically if she didn't start getting a few hours at night. That a photo album?"

Prue smiled. "Yeah, I figured looking back to simpler times might relax me. Then again, really thinking about it, I'm not sure 'simple' was ever the right word to describe our lives."

"Hm, it's true. In a lot of those photos we would've still have been adapting to life without Mom, right?"

Prue nodded, sadly. "Not sure we've ever not been adapting to life without Mom. I guess it's always been a case of us against the world, one way or another."

Piper moved next to Prue. "Well, we got a lot of strength from you."

The look on her sister's face told Piper that Prue wasn't convinced.

"I mean it," Piper insisted. "Phoebe and I would've been a lot worse off without your courage and solidarity."

Prue gently closed the album and laid it down on the table before them. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course"

Prue took a breath. "I saw a note you made about a doctor's appointment. I wasn't snooping; I swear. I was just looking for my glasses and I came across it. Is everything okay?"

Piper tried to look as calm as possible, hoping to hide the fact that it was that very appointment that was depriving her of sleep. "I don't want you to worry; it's probably nothing."

"What's probably nothing?" Prue asked, clearly ignoring the first half of the sentence.

"I found a lump, so I'm getting it checked. That's all."

Prue sat quietly, unsure of what to say.

"With everything you and Phoebe were going through, I just didn't want to add to the stress when it's probably just a harmless bump."

"What do you mean?" Prue asked, totally confused. "What am I going through?"

"Well…" Piper hesitated. "It's just I know it's been hard for you recently; feeling like you're not doing enough. Obviously this is out of our control, so I didn't think it'd do any good to bring it up unless I had to."

"I'm here for you."

Piper could hear the disappointment in her sister's voice, but didn't know how else to respond besides saying, "I know."

"So please, let me be."

Piper nodded.

"Does Leo know?" Prue asked.

Piper nodded, "He's coming with me to the appointment."

Prue looked down at the closed photo album. She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that Leo knew and she didn't. She realised how illogical it was to begrudge her brother-in-law that; but it didn't help her current feelings of inadequacy.

Piper noticed her sister's demeanour. "I'm going to be okay." She reached out to take her sister's hand. "We all will be."

"I love you, ya know?" Prue asked, a little teary eyed.

"Love you, too, Sis."

Phoebe was in bed when her eyes suddenly popped open. Beads of sweat trickled down her face and body. She had to get up; the cold sweat was very uncomfortable and her mouth and throat felt dry as sandpaper. As she got out of bed, she didn't realise that The Source was watching her.

"Another nightmare?" he asked, feigning concern.

Phoebe jumped a little at the sound of her lover's voice. "Yep, another nightmare." She sipped a bottle of water that she had left on her dresser for such occasions.

The Source got out of her bed and wrapped Cole's body gently around her. "What did you see?"

Phoebe sighed, uncertain whether she wanted to talk about it. "I was under water, surrounded by those bodies from the tunnel. It always feels so real; I can even smell it."

The Source kissed her cheek. "Have you thought about using magic?"

Phoebe turned to him; she hadn't for a very specific reason. "To get rid of nightmares? Sounds like personal gain."

The Source shrugged. "You were held captive by the worst evil there is; I'm sure Fate would make an exception."

Phoebe thought about it. "I guess it wouldn't affect anyone else. I'll look in The Book tomorrow."

He held her tightly. "Just remember that you're free, and we'll make sure you stay that way."

Maniacal screaming echoed through San Francisco County Jail. Other inmates could be heard groaning and shouting for the culprit to shut up.

Two guards walked down the corridor of cells to see what the fuss was about. Once they found the cell from which the screams were emanating, they stood apprehensively.

"What's going on in there?" one of them demanded.

No answer; the screaming just continued unabated.

The guards cautiously unlocked the cell door and slowly opened it. It was hard to see in the darkness. Suddenly a man drenched in blood jumped out from the shadows and launched himself at one of the guards. Blood was streaming down his chin and his body as he wrestled with the guard on the floor. The second guard got out his gun, ready to put an end to the commotion, but before he could do so, the prisoner stopped moving.

The attacked guard calmed himself and felt for a pulse. "He's dead."

The other guard looked inside the cell to see if there was any sign of what had happened. He shone a flashlight around the space and found a symbol painted in blood high on the wall. Three cat-like eyes, stared down at him.

Meanwhile, the other guard shoved the prisoner's body off of himself and was finally able to stand up. His uniform was now covered in blood.

He didn't realise that there was someone watching all of this happening. He also didn't notice a purple light flickering from the prisoner's body ever so briefly. The person watching all these events did see it and knew full well that something supernatural was afoot.

"Hey!" the observer shouted.

The guard jumped. He got out his gun.

"Relax. You need to contact Darryl Morris."

"What?"

"Inspector Darryl Morris. He'll know people who can help." He stopped watching through the bars. He'd done all he could. If they didn't take his advice, it would get worse. He sat on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. The same cat-eyes symbol was carved above him.

Bane Jessup closed his eyes, too tired to not take the risk that sleeping invited. "Hurry, Prue" he mumbled sleepily. "Please hurry."

(Opening Credits)

Piper sat on the table in her doctor's examination room, waiting anxiously. Leo stood beside her, trying to hide his own nerves. Dr. Wallace tapped on his computer keyboard while they waited. They had been in the waiting room for two hours and Piper couldn't help but notice how many people were sitting without anyone next to them; many sporting scarves or bandannas, covering their presumably bald heads.

Piper took her top off and Leo took a seat to the side as Dr. Wallace felt the area in question. Piper held her breath through the strangely intimate and yet very clinical examination. Dr. Wallace addressed his young female nurse, who sat at the opposite side of the room. "When can we get her in?"

Piper's stomach turned.

Dr. Wallace's nurse thumbed through a file. "We have…the morning of the 16th."  
"That'll work" he responded.

He finished examining Piper and went back to his computer.

Leo stood. "Is there anything you can tell us now?"

Dr. Wallace's phone rang and he picked it up, annoying Leo.

"Yeah, okay well don't jump to conclusions until we get Mr. Coldwell's results, okay?" the doctor said into the phone. "Yeah, call them; tell them it's urgent."

Piper and Leo waited quietly and anxiously as Wallace put the phone down and turned to them.

"Alright, Mrs. Halliwell, your cancer is 1.6cm and is located in the lower-outer quadrant of your left breast chest wall. There's no sign of it being anywhere else in the breast."

"So it's…" Piper gaped.

"A small tumour," the doctor finished.

"She might not need chemo then, right?" Leo asked. "I looked online and it said…"

"We can't say that for sure," Wallace corrected. "A small tumour can be very aggressive; we'll need to take a closer look. But either way we'll need to schedule a lumpectomy."

Piper's eyes filled. Everything was happening so fast and there were so many conflicting emotions spiralling through her mind. On the one hand, she was somewhat comforted by how pragmatic her doctor was being, yet on the other hand, she was petrified and just wanted to go home and pretend she'd never found anything. "So…surgery…"

"We'll remove the lump, but we should be able to preserve your breast. You'll have a scar. We'll also remove two sentinel lymph nodes from your armpit. We'll analyse them and that'll indicate whether the cancer has spread to your lymphatic system."

Piper couldn't speak, so Leo did. "And if it has?"

"Well then we might have to take out more surgically and you'd also need a course of either radio or chemotherapy. It really depends on the level we're dealing with, which I'm afraid is hard to say until we get in there."

Piper steadied her breathing. "Okay, well, if you think surgery is best, I can try and get some time off work. I own my own business; it might be a little difficult to…"

"Ms. Halliwell, the lumpectomy really needs to be done sooner rather than later. I have a free slot on the 16th."

"At 8.30 am," the nurse specified.

"8.30 am," Dr. Wallace repeated.

Leo nodded. "Okay, Doctor, we just…"

Before Leo could finish his sentence, Dr. Wallace's phone rang once again and he was speaking to someone else.

Leo turned to Piper and looked into her scared eyes. She rested her head on his shoulder as he held her.

Prue entered the police station to find Darryl waiting for her.

"Hey thanks," he smiled. "Glad you could make it."

"No problem; it sounded urgent… and frankly if you have a demon that I can punch, that wouldn't suck right now."

"Don't say the d-word here!" Darryl muttered as he looked around anxiously to make sure none of his colleagues were paying too much attention. He took Prue over to his desk and showed her a photograph of the bloody symbol painted on the cell wall.

"An incident at County Jail," Darryl explained. "Prisoner went nuts, ate his own tongue, painted this on the wall using his blood and attacked a guard before bleeding to death."

Prue cringed at the description of events.

"Apparently this isn't the first time recently that a prisoner has gone crazy, but they've been able to manage it up until now so they haven't bothered to report anything."

Prue looked at the photo. "Well, the symbol certainly looks…suspicious," and Darryl smiled, grateful that she hadn't said the 'd-word' again. "I'll check The Book for it."

"Thanks Prue. Captain's out at the moment, but he's still really breathing down my neck. We could do with this being as quiet as possible. In fact, no offense, but you should probably get out of here before he comes back."

Prue agreed; the last thing they needed was to exacerbate things by hanging around the station.

As the two parted ways, neither one of them had noticed Sinead Griffith waiting in a chair not far away from them. The very suspicious woman hadn't been able to hear everything they had said; but certainly enough to raise her concerns, concerns that she was determined to voice to the Captain upon his return.

Phoebe had left The Book of Shadows open to a page about dreamcatchers. She began to route through the various boxes lying around the attic.

The Source walked in. "Any luck?"

"I'm going to try a dreamcatcher. I'm sure Grams had one boxed away in here somewhere. Figured it might be safer than casting a spell, especially considering how out of whack my emotions are right now."

She continued looking until she eventually found what she was searching for. She brushed the dust off the old dreamcatcher, which she'd always assumed was just decorative. "Gotcha," she smiled.

The Source smiled back. "Great. I'll go hang it up in your room."

Phoebe handed it to the man she thought was Cole, who she thought she could trust. He left the room just before Prue rushed in. "Hey, can I use The Book?"

"Of course," and Phoebe stepped aside.

Prue showed Phoebe the photograph of the symbol.

"Is that blood?"

"Yep," Prue nodded, then explained. "It was found at a prison along with a very dead prisoner."

"Define 'very dead'."

"He ate his own tongue and bled to death."

Phoebe's eyes widened. "Wow, that's pretty dead."

Prue flipped through The Book. "How are you? You sleep any better last night?"

"Not really," Phoebe admitted. "But that's why I've been looking through The Book. Cole suggested I try and find something to help manage the nightmares."

Prue stopped for a second. "Did he?" she asked, but the pause was long enough for Phoebe to notice.

"I take it you don't approve."

Prue sighed. "Just be careful, okay? I'm worried about you, and honestly, I'm not sure a magical band-aid is the best solution."

"Well what am I supposed to do, Prue?" Phoebe scoffed. "Go to a therapist and tell them about my stint in The Underworld?"

Prue continued flipping as she spoke. "Look, please, don't be mad at me; I'm just looking out for you."

There was an awkward silence.

"So it's not just that Cole suggested it?"

Prue rolled her eyes. "No, Phoebe, it's not. I would've said the same if Leo or Piper had suggested it. We just have to be extra cautious right now."

Phoebe raised her hands. "Alright, just checking. Truce."

Prue smiled as she nodded, glad her fib had fooled her younger sister. Then she cried out in victory as she found what she was looking for. The three feline eyes looked at her from the illustration of a rather nasty-looking demon. Its face was wrapped up in bandages like a mummy and the eyes were emblazed onto the material. She could just about see its grey skin and rotten teeth underneath.

" 'Asharoth, the Demon of Madness'," Prue read aloud. " 'Magnifies the madness in others and feeds on their souls when they inevitably self-destruct. Asharoth will often target those who are in some way cut off from the world. He usually avoids places with a high number of people." Prue was confused. "Well then, a prison seems like a weird choice. But it's got to be him; everything else is too spot on for it not to be!"

"Do you need help?" Phoebe offered.

"Um, I appreciate the offer...but a prison, don't you think..."

"I'd be asking for another episode?" Phoebe sighed unhappily. "Yeah you're right. Besides, the Demon of Madness; I'd probably be an all-you-can-eat buffet to him."

Prue laid her hand on Phoebe's shoulder.

Phoebe smiled. "I'm sorry for snapping at you; I'm just tired. I know I haven't made things easy for you guys recently."

"Hey, we'll get through this together. I promise."

The Source hung up the dreamcatcher just above Phoebe's side of the bed. He slowly waved his hand over the netting. It shimmered with a crimson red glow and crackled with energy. He put down his hand and the dreamcatcher seemed back to normal. He smirked. "Sweet dreams, Phoebe."

Prue and Darryl sat in a San Francisco County Jail waiting area. A uniformed man stood at the main desk.  
"You can just go right through, Inspector Morris."

"Thank you."

Darryl and Prue went into an office and were greeted by another uniformed man (portrayed by George Newbern).

He rose and shook hands with the two of them. "Hello, I'm Officer Michael Radcliffe. How can I help you?"

"Hi I'm Inspector Morris, this is my civilian consultant, Ms. Halliwell. We wanted to follow up on the incident here that was reported. Are you the correction officer here?"

"Yes I am. I also act as a sort of counsellor to some of the inmates," Radcliffe told them with a smile. "I have a Masters in social work."

"Perfect," Prue started. "Did you hear anything from the inmates that might be relevant?"

"No, nothing that I can think of. It was mostly pretty innocent stuff; helping through loneliness and missing loved ones."

"Would you mind if we took a look at the cell where it happened?" Darryl asked.

Prue and Darryl entered the cell in question and looked at the symbol on the wall.

"Wow, that's bigger than it seemed in the photo," Prue commented. "Must've taken a lot of blood."

"Prue?" a voice asked from behind.

Prue and Darryl turned around, but nobody was behind them.

"In here," the voice called.

Prue approached the cell opposite, surprised to see Bane Jessup looking through the bars. "Bane? You're here? Did you see what happened?"

"Yeah, I'm the one who told the guard to ask for Morris." He smiled. "I knew he'd bring you here."

"Hm," Darryl warned. "Just don't make me regret it, Jessup."

Bane nodded.

"It's okay, Darryl," Prue reassured her friend. "Really."

"I'll just be here," and Darryl continued to inspect the cell while Prue and Bane spoke.

"What made you call us?" she asked.

"Ah, come on, I know when something demonic is going on by now. Things have been getting weird here at night, Prue. It's like there's this strange vibration through the place; it messes with your head. Hits some more than others," and he gestured to the cell across.

Prue nodded. "I think there's a demon here that causes madness."

"Well, that would certainly explain it. Everyone here wants to deny the feeling, but I knew something was seriously wrong. When he died, I saw some kind of light come out from him."

"That might have been the demon claiming his soul."

This distressed Bane. "I've been having nightmares, Prue. I think they're linked to whoever's doing this. My dreams are my only escape in this d mn place. Then again, with everything I've done, maybe I deserve..."

"No. Bane, don't even go there," Prue interrupted. "You're already accepting the punishment for the things you did. That doesn't mean this demon gets to take advantage."

Bane smiled, his distress relieved. "I knew I could count on you"

Prue couldn't deny that she felt the spark between them quickly reigniting. "You said it happens at night?"

"Seems to."

"Okay. I can work with that."

Later that night, a guard did one last walk down the prison corridor and announced lights out, leaving the jail in darkness.

Bane waited patiently on the end of his bed. Right on cue, Prue's astral self materialised before him. "You made it," and he hopped up and hugged her.

Prue was taken aback a little by this and Bane noticed. "Sorry. Just, ya know; not much contact," he explained, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, it's fine," Prue insisted. "Don't worry about it."

"So you can get into the other cells if the demon attacks someone else?" he wanted to know.

"Yep, perks of astral mode. I think of somewhere and bam - I'm there. Meanwhile my actual body is safe at home in bed."

"Handy," Bane smiled, impressed.

"Only problem is I can't access my other power at the same time, but hopefully I can avert any disasters tonight while my sisters come up with a plan on how to vanquish this thing."

"How are your sisters?"

Prue hesitated. "Um...ooh, boy, that's a loaded question. Erm. To be honest, they're not so well."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No need; they'll be okay," Prue shrugged, suddenly feeling a wave of emotion wash over her. "They're survivors; always have been."

Bane smiled. "I'm thinking Big Sis helped to instil some of that."

Prue was about to shrug off the compliment when a strange feeling came over her.

"Do you feel that?" Bane asked nervously.

Prue nodded. "Definitely"

Wailing emanated from down the hall.

"Prue?"

"I'm on it." Prue closed her eyes and willed herself to where the screaming was coming from. When her eyes opened, she was in a different cell and saw an elderly man literally bouncing off the walls. As he did, he let out almost-animalistic cries. Spotting Prue's sudden appearance didn't help his state. He charged towards her, but thinking fast, Prue flipped him over onto his back.

He ran to the corner of the room, now afraid of her.

"I'm here to help you," Prue said, as softly as she could; which wasn't all that soft, what with the amount of adrenaline pumping through her. "I just need you to calm down."

The prisoner began giggling maniacally and the laughter then turned into sobbing and then screaming. He opened his mouth and held out his hands. He furiously bit into his own wrist.

Realising what he was doing, Prue jumped into action. "No!" She ran towards him and had no choice but to give him a swift blow to the head, knocking him unconscious.

Prue looked down. He hadn't managed to bite too deeply, but there was some blood. Prue tore a strip off one of his thankfully very thin bed sheets and tied it around his wrist.

She let out a sigh of relief. However, her calm was short-lived, as she heard groaning behind her. She braced herself and turned around. To her horror she saw Piper and Phoebe on the ground, lifeless. Her heartbeat began to race.

"It's not real; it's not real" she repeated to herself, eyes closed, hands clasped to her head.

As she did, Asharoth hovered out of the shadows and leered in behind her. He slowly reached out with his grey, skeletal hands. Just as he was about to make contact, they heard locks shifting as a guard unlocked the door.

But before the guard could open the cell, both Asharoth and Prue had dematerialised

The next day, Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Darryl sat around the kitchen table.

"If I hadn't been there, that guy would've killed himself for sure," Prue told them. "I could feel Asharoth's essence; I still haven't gotten over it. I thought that in my astral form, maybe he wouldn't be able to get to me..." She rolled her eyes at herself. "So much for that theory."

"Well, in that case, next time I'll go with you" Piper suggested. "I can control my powers now, so I can freeze anyone that needs freezing. Or any _thing_."

"Piper," Prue pleaded, "I don't know if that's a good idea."

Piper shook her head. "Not up for discussion. Together, remember?"

Prue nodded, now kicking herself for not remembering.

"I'm still trying to get a premonition from the photo," Phoebe told them. "Leo went to ask the Elders if they have any idea why Asharoth is suddenly targeting busy places." She clasped her cup tighter. "If you guys want me to go with you, I can suck it up."

Prue firmly shook her head. "Like you said before, Phoebs, I think being in a prison of all places might be a little too much right now."

Phoebe sighed. "I just feel like I'm deserting you guys."

"You might still get a vision from the photo" Darryl suggested.

"Exactly" Piper smiled. "And let's not forget who saved the day when I got attacked by the magic spider!"

Darryl raised his eyebrow. "You fight magic spiders now?"

The sisters all nodded.

Darryl had to gather himself after that. "Man, I thought that snake-tongued woman was as weird as it'd get." He took a deep breath. "Don't worry; I'll go with you guys too. I might not be much help with the demon, but it wouldn't hurt to have a cop in sight just in case somebody catches you around the prison."

That made Phoebe smile. "Thanks, Darryl."

Just then, Leo orbed in. "Hey. The Elders think Asharoth must have been summoned."

Phoebe gave him a perplexed look. "Who on earth would summon that?"

"Well..." Leo began, clearly uncomfortable. "The Elders also mentioned that Bane Jessup is being held in that very prison."

Piper and Phoebe's eyes widened and they both turned to look at Prue.

"Oh, did I not mention that?" Prue asked sheepishly. She turned to Leo. "The Elders are wrong; Bane willingly went back to prison to serve his sentence."

"Prue, far be it for me to side with The Elders, but…" Piper took a deep breath of her own before reminding her older sister, "he has worked with a demon before."

"Yes, and he's also been the victim of a demon before. Remember Litvack?" Prue countered. "Bane really came through for us."

Piper raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, well if not him, who would?"

Phoebe got up. "I don't know, but I'll try the photo again. Now that I have something more to focus on, I might have better luck."

"And we'd better get to the club," Piper told Leo before turning to Prue; "I will be there tonight!"

Prue sighed nervously as Piper left the room.

"Are you okay?" Darryl asked. "You seem on edge."

"Asharoth got to me a little last night, and he made me see Piper and Phoebe dead. I know it was just a delusion, but with everything that's been happening recently, I just..."

Darryl thought for a second. "You know, when my son started school, I was so nervous letting him go and start living his life without me. On his first day, he ended up with a huge cut on his knee. Then when Sheila gave birth to our second... things didn't look so good for a while; something to do with his heart."

A little confused as to why he was telling her this now, Prue gave him a sympathetic smile. "I never knew. Sorry you had to go through that."

Darryl's eyes began to well up a little. "That feeling...that powerlessness; it's just spirit-crushing. Life had dealt my son a crappy hand and all I could do was hope that he'd pull through. I just had to have faith. I didn't have anything else."

Now Prue understood what he was trying to say.

"I know you helped raise them after you lost your mom. I know that in many ways you're the guardian of the family." Now he reached out to hold her hand as he looked her in the eyes. "But Prue, you can't protect them from one hundred percent of the world. And that doesn't make you any less strong or any less important to them. It just makes you a human being."

Prue choked up "But I..."

"You're allowed to be a human being. Be there...but don't let it crush your spirit."

Prue nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.

That night; Prue and Darryl went back to the prison, but this time Piper went with them. She froze the guards on the way in.

"Okay, you guys head down," Darryl whispered. "I'll stand watch in case anyone shows up."

Prue and Piper crept down the corridor and they felt a strange sensation come over them.

"He's already here" Prue moaned.

"No, please!"

"Bane!" Prue grabbed Piper's hand and they ran.

Phoebe sat on the sofa with the photograph of Asharoth's symbol in her hand and The Book of Shadows open at his page next to her. She focused on both, trying to get a flash of anything useful. "Come on," she muttered. "Show me who summoned The Demon of Madness."

She gasped as a premonition flooded her mind. She saw what looked like a Voodoo doll on big desk. It had the mark of Asharoth painted on it in blood and it was surrounded by black candles. The vision ended and Phoebe didn't hesitate to pull out her cell phone.

Poor Darryl almost jumped out of his skin when his cell phone suddenly began to ring in the dark, creepy setting. "Hello?"

"Hey, Darryl; it's Phoebe. I had a premonition. There's an effigy used to summon Asharoth. It's in a room with a big desk, maybe in an office. It was surrounded by black candles."

"Black candles, huh?" Darryl looked at a door as he remembered seeing something that seemed just a bit off. "I might have an idea. Thanks, Phoebe."

Prue waved her arm at the entrance to Bane's cell and the locks gave way under the force of her power. They rushed in to find him huddled in a corner and floating over him, arms and bandages dangling down eerily from above; was Asharoth.

"Back the hell off!" Prue threw the demon to the other side of the room with her magic.

Bane squirmed and rambled to himself.

"Piper, watch him," Prue alerted her sister, "He might try to hurt himself."

Piper waved her hands and Bane froze. "Now he won't."

Asharoth swooped towards Prue, and she repelled it again with another shot of telekinesis. Her power wasn't quite as effective against him as she would've liked, but it would have to do. After exchanging looks, the two sisters tag-teamed the demon, Prue hitting it with her telekinesis and Piper repeatedly attacking it with fiery blasts of explosive magic. Their magic was clearly hurting the demon, but its recovery seemed to take no time at all.

Darryl kicked open the office door. After Phoebe's phone call, he was not in the least-bit surprised by what he saw. "I knew there was something off about you."

Corrections Officer Michael Radcliffe stood before a desk covered in various pieces of creepy paraphernalia; including an effigy surrounded by black candles. "Well, that's rich coming from a guy lurking round a prison at night."

"Why would you summon that demon here?"

The man just shrugged. "Just doing my bit for the greater good. One day these scumbags would've been freed and someone else might get hurt...so, much better that we end them while they're here."

Darryl was a bit freaked by how casual Radcliffe sounded. "This is murder!"

Again Radcliffe shrugged, unconcerned. "You never heard of a social cleansing? If you heard some of the stuff I have while counselling some of the whack jobs sent to this place, you'd understand. My cousin is a witch, so I just took one of his books about demons and I learned all about Asharoth. He's fascinating, really. You know he's so mad that he's beyond pain? He's just too crazy to really process it so he keeps going! I imagine your witch friends will be having a tough time figuring that out."

Darryl drew his service revolver and pointed it at Radcliffe.

"You won't shoot me, Inspector," Radcliffe smirked.

"Won't I?"

Darryl fired a shot just to the side of Radcliffe. Radcliffe wailed and crashed to the floor, stunned, as the bullet lodged in the wall. Darryl seized the opportunity. Running to the desk, he grabbed the effigy and held it in the flame of one of the candles.

"No!" Radcliffe screamed as the effigy started to melt. He tried to stand up and tackle the inspector, but Darryl first dodged his efforts and then knocked him out with an elbow to the face. With Radcliffe lying motionless on the floor, Darryl continued melting the effigy. "Seen enough creepy dolls in horror movies to know how this crap works."

Prue and Piper backed away, having done little damage to the demon. Suddenly, Asharoth let out a blood-curdling screech as his body began to smoke. He flailed about as the bandages wrapped around him started to burn away, revealing his hideously disfigured face. He dropped to the floor and began to melt down into a puddle of bile that eventually sank into the floor.

"Did we do that?" Piper asked, totally confused.

Prue shook her head. "I don't think so."

"I better go check on Darryl, make sure he's okay. You take care of him," and Piper gestured at Bane, removing her freeze.

Bane looked around the cell, much calmer now, but emotionally frazzled.

Prue kneeled beside him. "We did it," she smiled. "We got the demon. You can go back to dreaming again."

"Thank you," Bane whispered.

Prue was about to say her goodbyes, when Bane asked: "I never asked. How are your dreams coming along?"

It took Prue a moment before she remembered how Bane had helped set her on her path to fulfilling her dream of becoming a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer. "Well, I quit my old job and I'm doing what I love, taking photographs..."

"So when do I get to see the Pulitzer?" Bane teased, a smile in his eyes.

Prue sighed. "Somehow winning the Pulitzer doesn't seem to be as important as it once was."

"So what does seem important, Prue?"

Prue took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Usually she hated talking about her dreams, but for some reason doing it with this man was easier. "Well, I'm beginning to think that maybe I should look to my own future a little bit more. Maybe take some extra risks for myself."

Bane smiled proudly. "There's that spark that I fell in...that I remember. Life is a precious thing, Prue; if anyone has the courage to make the most of it, that's you."

Prue reached out to take Bane's hand. "I also wondered if every once in a while, you'd like a visitor. Maybe help a little with the lack of contact."

Bane nodded, trying to look as cool as possible despite his excitement. "I'd really like that."

Prue, Piper and Phoebe sat around the dining room table. Each had a glass of wine in front of her.

Piper took a big glug of her wine, set down her glass, then took a deep breath, let it all out slowly. By this point she had both of her sisters' full attention.

"What's up, Piper?" Phoebe asked.

Piper slowly stood up addressed her sisters. "Okay, so, I have something to tell you guy. It's not good news, but it could be a lot worse, okay?" she began nervously. "So I don't want you to freak out, because I'm trying to stay positive."

Prue and Phoebe prepared themselves; Phoebe drinking wine; Prue nibbling at her fingernails.

"I have a small tumour, a little bit of cancer," Piper told them. "I'm already booked in for a lumpectomy and we'll take it from there. It looks like I found it early, so all in all, things are looking good."

Piper exhaled and sat down while her sisters tried not to gawp at the news.

Phoebe spoke first, a little croaky. "Piper, I don't know...I'm so sorry. I love you."

Even as Phoebe rose from her chair and hurried over to hug Piper, Prue stood up and walked over to the CD player in the corner of the room and inserted a disc into the machine. The music began to play at a soft volume.

Piper and Phoebe turned to look at Prue and the source of the music, surprised to hear 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper, both looking at Prue, totally confused.

Prue smiled at her sisters. "That photo album reminded me. Remember when we went to the concert and sang along to this? It was practically our anthem."

Prue returned to the table and sat with her sisters again. She looked at Piper and Phoebe as the words 'When you're lost, you can look and you will find me' played and Prue mouthed the lyrics to them. 'When you fall, I will catch you; I'll be waiting'.

All three sisters stood up. They danced and swayed to the music and ended up embracing each other in a family hug as the music played out.

Prue sat on the porch with her glass of wine. She looked up at the night sky and breathed in the crisp air. Leo appeared beside her.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Mind if I sit out here?" he asked.

She shifted to the side a little and tapped the bench. Leo sat.

"Piper told us."

"Yeah, she said she was going to."

There was a moment of silence.

"Piper and Phoebe are having a sleepover in Piper's room," Prue told him. "Don't think Phoebe was ready to let her go yet."

Leo released a very heavy sigh. Prue turned to him. "How are you doing?"

Again he sighed. "I don't know. I just keep remembering before the time reset. I couldn't save her, because I wasn't here. Now I am here...and I still can't save her."

Prue nodded. "Powerlessness," she whispered.

"I already said I'd try healing her if she wanted me to. I mean, it probably wouldn't work anyway; The Elders have really cracked down since last time. But she won't let me. Says she won't risk me having my wings clipped and putting innocents at risk."

Prue smiled slightly, proud of her sister's strength.

"I just..." Leo stopped.

"Say it," Prue insisted.

"I just don't know what I'd do if I lost her," Leo sobbed. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," and Prue wrapped her arms around her brother-in-law's shoulder. "I know you want to stay positive for her, but if you need to cry, or scream, or punch a few walls, just come to me and odds are I'll be ready to do the same."

"Thanks, Prue."

"You're family," and she reached out to hug him. As she did, Prue smiled, finally understanding what Darryl and Bane were both trying to tell her. Now she knew that even though the others had their own lives, she was still needed and that she would still be there for them.

It was what families did. 


	5. Home Is Where the Ghost Is

**Charmed  
Season 4, Episode 5  
** **Home Is Where the Ghost Is  
By P3Nathan  
**

The Source of All Evil materialised in a blaze of fire. The darkness of the Underworld took a bit of getting used to after being so long aboveground in the body of Cole Turner. He looked at path before him - the River Styx - and knew exactly where he needed to go. Klea had offered to execute the task on his behalf, but this was something that The Source wanted to find firsthand. He stepped onto the river of fire and began to walk down it as if strolling down a solid road.

Phoebe Halliwell laid in bed, tossing and turning. Her mind was racing with images of her past and feelings that she had since forgotten.

In her dream, she was in the basement on her knees, surrounded by an aura of deep purple darkness. Pictures floated around her; pictures of herself as her own voice echoed through her mind:

Her past life, P. Russell, aiming a blast of fire at her cousin. "Okay. I admit it. I liked it. It felt good to be respected and powerful." (Pardon My Past)

Her current life, years previously, holding a knife and slowly moving towards Piper from behind. "I didn't even think I had a dark side. I could go either way. Good or evil." (Is There a Woogy in the House?)

Herself, not all that long ago, smirking gleefully as she kicked a frozen Leo, shattering him into countless pieces. "Well, it was fun for a while. I mean, to be able to do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted with no consequences." (Bride and Gloom)

The aura around her became thicker and thicker and began closing in on her. It became harder and harder to breathe as the energy focused in until she was suddenly jolted awake. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the dreamcatcher above her.

"Well," she muttered breathlessly. "So much for your help."

Piper Halliwell woke up in her bed; the morning sun glistening on her face.

"Morning," Leo said as he placed a tray of food down in front of her.

"Morning. Oh wow, what's this?"

Leo smiled. "Breakfast in bed."

Piper kissed her husband and noticed the calendar across the room. She saw a red cross marked on the date of her operation. Reality had crept back into the room and she looked down.

"Hey," Leo said. "We're going to make sure you're well rested, build you up and you'll be ready to kick that surgery's a$$. It'll all be done with before you know it," and he smiled encouragingly again.

Piper forced a smile back. "Right, yeah, of course." She bit down on a piece of toast in order to stop the conversation.

Prue sat downstairs with several photographs spread out on the table. She looked at them, deep in thought, as Phoebe came downstairs.

"Hey, what you doing?" the youngest Halliwell asked.

Prue turned to her. "Oh, hey. I'm trying to decide on my best photos for the Art Centre."

"The Art Centre?"

Prue thought for a moment. "Didn't I tell you guys about that?"

Phoebe shook her head.

"Well, The Art Centre is hosting this show in a few weeks," Prue explained. "Any artist in the area can apply and if they like the look of your work, they let you show off some of your stuff for the night and maybe sell a few things. There's going to be a section for up-and-coming photographers, so I thought what the hell."

"And they accepted your application? What am I saying? Of course they did. Prue, that's fantastic!"

"Hopefully it will be. I mean I love the work I've been doing for 415, don't get me wrong…but it'd be kind of neat making some money from taking pictures of stuff that I want to take pictures of, you know? I mean not that I think I'm going to sell much, but exposure's exposure."

Phoebe laid a hand on her big sister's shoulder. "You'll sell some stuff; all of your stuff is great."

"Thanks, Sis." Prue looked at her prints and exhaled nervously. "There will be like real photographers and artists there."

Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "So people like you?"

"Yeah, we'll go with that," Prue scoffed. "Enough about me; how are you doing?"

Phoebe sighed as she frowned. "Not so good. The nightmares aren't quite as graphic as they were, but the feeling they leave in me when I wake up is only getting stronger."

"What kind of feeling?"

Again Phoebe sighed. "It's hard to describe, but it's kind of like a shadow in my mind. It makes my blood hotter and my thoughts louder. Everything is more intense. Feels like I'm trapped inside my own body screaming to get out."

At Prue's concerned looked, Phoebe tried to laugh it off. "So… I sound insane."  
"No, sweetie, you don't." Prue held her hand softly, "You just sound like you've been through a traumatic experience and it's hard to get passed it. But you know that you might have to talk about it in detail to us eventually, right? We don't want to rush you into reliving it, but it sounds like we might have to face this sooner rather than later."

Phoebe reluctantly nodded.

Prue tried to lighten things slightly. "So I guess your dreamcatcher isn't working, huh?"

"I guess not. You were right, I was kidding myself thinking I could solve this magically. It's just Cole mentioned it and I figured it was worth a shot."

"Where is Cole?"

"He's out hunting bounty hunters, keep them away from the house."

Suspicion crossed Prue's face. "Yeah, I wondered why no demons have come here to try and get him back."

"Prue."

"Just an observation, not an accusation. I am a beacon of understanding and peace."

"Hmm, hmm," Phoebe side-eyed.

"Morning," their sister greeted them as she came down the steps.

"Hey, honey," Phoebe greeted. "How are you feeling?"

Piper smiled. "Hunky dory."

Prue and Phoebe gathered around her.

"You going to take it easy today?" Prue asked.

"Yeah," Phoebe added. "You don't want to overdo things before…y'know."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Guys, I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine." She sighed sadly. "That's the weirdest thing about this whole ordeal; I don't feel sick at all."

Phoebe had an idea. "Well then maybe we should make the most of that. You know what day is coming up."

"Ooh," Prue chimed in. "Halloween."

"Closest thing to National Witch Day and since you've finally come around and accepted your glorious witchiness…" Phoebe became excited. "We could have a party."

"I'm in!" Prue announced.

Piper cringed for a moment, but forced herself to try and reach her sisters' enthusiasm levels. "Okay, I guess it could be fun."

The Source stood before an enormous door. It towered above him, covered in rotting vines. Its dark steel might intimidate lesser evils, but The Source knew full well what he was walking into. He raised his hands and the door began to tremble and creak. It clearly hadn't been opened in centuries. Rubble and dust fell all around as the colossal door slowly gave into The Source's will.

He stepped inside and smiled as a wall of fire blazed before him. He forcefully launched his arm through the flames. His eyes blackened. He uttered words in a dead language; understandable only to the very highest of the evil hierarchy.

The flames subsided and a scroll floated in its place.

A little girl emerged from the shadows. She looked no older than six and had long brown hair and a ragged dress. She would have appeared innocent if not for the occasional glow of crimson red in her eyes. "I am the Keeper of the Scroll, my liege."

"Then you may have the honour of reading its words to me" The Source responded. "Will I succeed if I continue this path?"

The Keeper held out a hand and the scroll floated over to her. She unrolled it and gazed upon it with her blood-red stare. The writing was in symbols long since forgotten, but The Keeper had no trouble interpreting them:

"The greatest evil shall rise to the earth. He shall take the form of one torn between light and dark. In this form he shall be nearer to the greatest good magic than any evil has been before…"

The Source grew impatient. "Go on."

"He shall bring forth tragedy and a great darkness shall befall the earth. The warriors of good shall be torn apart. The time of the mortals will draw to a close and the demons will claim the world."

The Source smiled. "So be it."

(Opening Credits)

Piper was in the basement routing through various boxes of old party decorations. She found a box of Halloween items and began to take out various streamers and ornaments for the party.

Phoebe looked down the stairs at Piper and looked around the basement, remembering her dream the night before. Determined not to let her fear of the basement get the best of her again, she forced herself to walk down the stairs and help her sister out. "Hey you found the party stuff!" she smiled.

"Yep. We'll make up for not dressing up this year by dressing up the house. Then if a mystical vortex opens up or a demon attacks, I won't look like an enormous meringue."

"Good times," Phoebe laughed. "We'll be fine; it'll be fun." She noticed another box and started looking through it. She stopped excited as she found an old tin with a magnifying glass artistically drawn on the lid. She opened up the tin and found various playing cards. "Oh, wow, look what I found!"

Piper turned to see what her sister was so enthusiastic about. "A card game?"

"I think it's one of those murder-mystery role-play games. We need to do this."

Piper winced. "How drunk are we planning on getting?"

"Oh, come on, get in the spirit. It'd be fun to play make believe detectives for a while."

Piper wasn't convinced, "I dunno…"

"Maybe you'll get lucky and end up being the murder victim…or maybe you'll get into it and have some actual fun. God knows we need some."

Piper managed a smile. "Okay, fine. I'll play one game."

Phoebe put her arm around her sister's shoulders and playfully patted her. "That's the Halloween spirit!"

The Source materialised in the bathroom and as he exited, Prue walked down the hall.

"Cole, I didn't realise you were back," and she managed to not sound suspicious. "I wondered if you'd be back for the party."

"Uh, yeah, wouldn't miss it."

The Source turned, about to make a quick getaway, but Prue was having none of it.

"How are you?" she asked. "You don't seem to have had too much trouble with the bounty hunters."

He stopped in his tracks, turning back. "Well, I guess The Source is busy regrouping after losing me and Phoebe."

Prue nodded. "Doesn't sound like Phoebe's dreams are improving much. I know you suggested using magic…"

"I just wanted her to feel safer, that's all." He turned around again, but found himself halted against a wall of invisible telekinetic energy. He turned back around and saw Prue glaring; he couldn't deny that she made him a little nervous.

"And is she?"  
"Is she what?" he asked, losing patience.

"Is she safer now? Do we need to be worried?"

The Source squirmed a little. "You say it like I have special knowledge."

Prue shrugged. "You spent centuries working your way up through the demonic ranks. You know The Underworld better than any of us. I'd say your opinion is worth having."

The Source sighed. "I think The Source was banking a lot on keeping Phoebe prisoner. Now that you got us out of there, I think it'll be a while before he makes another move."

Prue didn't say anything.

"Can I go now?"

Prue nodded. "Of course, sorry. I just thought we should talk. See you at the party."

The Source speed-walked down the hall.

Prue didn't feel any easier.

It was seven o' clock in the evening and the Manor was ready for the guests to arrive. Several carved pumpkins glowed orange light, and various witchy and ghostly Halloween decorations hung from every corner of the house.

Phoebe laid some chips down on the table as the doorbell rang. She opened the front door and her father stood smiling, holding a bottle of wine.

Phoebe hugged him. "Hi, Dad."

"Happy Halloween, baby. Wow the house looks fantastic!"

Phoebe grinned. "Well what's the point in living in a big old Victorian house if you're not gonna spruce it up for the season, right?"

Not far behind Victor were Darryl and Sheila Morris.

"Hey, so glad you guys could make it." Phoebe hugged the couple. "Sheila, it's so good to see you. It's been too long.

"Right," Sheila nodded. "Last time I saw you was Darryl's birthday. We should have coffee sometime soon."

"Sounds good," as Phoebe allowed their guests in. "Guys, everyone's here!" she called upstairs.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Leo, Victor, Darryl, Sheila gathered in the sitting room. The Source stood slightly outside of the closed-knit group, holding his glass of wine. As the festivities and laughter commenced, he stood, fighting the urge to incinerate Prue for her insolence. He couldn't give into such temptation, not when the prophecy suggested his plan would be a success.

Phoebe put the old tin in the centre of the table and laid out some of the cards.

"Are there instructions?" Prue asked.

Phoebe found a sheet of paper amongst the deck. She read aloud as the other guests looked through the cards:

"Welcome to my world of toys  
I'm glad you chose to come;  
Now all sit back so I may show you  
What I have become.

When those with joy look at the world  
With hope within their eyes,  
Hateful hearts rain down on us,  
And death's the only prize."

Piper and Prue looked at her nervously.

"Not very instructive" Phoebe worried.

"Um, where did you get this exactly?" Darryl asked as he shuffled through the cards.

Sheila did the same. "Have you seen these cards?"

They passed them to Phoebe and she was horrified to see that each card displayed a violent or creepy image. A decaying body laid on a bed, a porcelain doll with a broken face, a bonfire of burning items outside a house.

Phoebe dropped the cards as they began to glow and the house began to shudder.

The Source smiled as the party was turning out more enjoyable than he thought it would.

Prue rolled her eyes. "I guess our track record with parties is going strong."

The guests were astonished and scared as a blast of red energy burst through the room and everything went black.

Phoebe groaned as she opened her eyes. Everything seemed weird. She was still on a sofa and her sisters were still next to her, but everything else…

Phoebe shook them. "Prue, Piper. Guys, wake up, wake up!" but only Prue and Piper did so.

"What the hell was that?" Prue demanded.

Piper shrugged. "Well it rhymed, so let's go with a spell."

"It was in a game box!" Phoebe ranted. "So I should I have known it was a spell? If I have kids, am I not allowed to read them Dr. Seuss just in case I conjure up some sort of Cat-in-the-Hat-based apocalypse?"

Again Piper shrugged. "At this point I'd say stick to picture books!"

They then took the time to take in their surroundings.

"We're not in the Manor," Prue pointed out what was much too obvious to her sisters.

The house around them may not have been much older, but it hadn't been maintained nearly as well. The place seemed to be rotting; the only light was candlelight and pretty much everything was covered in cobwebs. A large painting was on the wall before them, showing a gentle-looking African American woman (portrayed by Viola Davis) in a long bright dress. She smiled down on the sisters.

Phoebe pointed to the picture. "Maybe this is her house?"

Suddenly it transformed before them. The woman's dress became dirty, ragged and ripped. Her smile faded and blood began to trickle down the wall from the frame.

Prue nodded. "I think we can take that as a yes."

"Where are all our party guests?" Piper wondered.

"That's what we shall uncover!" a posh voice announced behind them.

The sisters yelped at the sudden male voice and turned around.

Piper's chin almost hit the floor. "Oh my God!"

Their father stood before them dressed as an old fashioned detective; complete with long coat, deerstalker hat and smoking pipe.

Prue tried her best not to laugh. "Dad, what the hell are you doing?"

"I am here to help you solve the mystery of this house and find your friends. Now hop to it, chop chop ladies, we don't have all night." Victor gesticulated enthusiastically. "We shall uncover the secrets that this place holds together!" and he wandered off, going up a flight of stairs.

Prue and Piper gave Phoebe a very unimpressed look.

"What?" Phoebe shrugged. "Bright side? This could actually be kinda fun."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, we're gonna party like it's 1899!"

The sisters followed their spellbound father up the stairs of the creaky old house.

Victor and his daughters slowly walked down the dark hall upstairs. Piper turned to the wall beside her and could have sworn that a crack appeared in the wall that wasn't there before. Prue looked at old black-and-white photos on the walls and as she walked by each one, the people disappeared and pictures of gravestones appeared in their places.

"I believe we should start with this room." Victor declared. He grabbed a magnifying glass from his pocket and jauntily strolled into one of the many rooms.

"My father issues are getting more complicated by the minute" Prue retorted.

Phoebe hunched her shoulders. "I'll pay for the family therapy."

Prue sighed as they followed Victor in.

What they found was a room full of toys. Dolls, rocking horses, dollhouses, building blocks, board games; it was some kind of workshop.

"Welcome to my world of toys" Phoebe repeated.

Piper looked around. "I swear, if we end up fighting Santa Claus…"

"It's a bit grim and creepy for that," Prue reassured her. "Plus, no elves."

Victor scurried around the room with his magnifying glass, zoning in on various objects.

"What is he looking for?" Phoebe whispered.

"Probably that last shred of sanity we've been clinging to" Piper hissed.

"Ah ha!" Victor yelled.

Again the sisters jumped.

"I may have found a journal." He approached the sisters with a small leather-bound book. "Diary of Cynthia Tuli. I believe she may be the lady of the house."

He passed the book to Prue and she opened it, but before she could begin reading, Piper and Phoebe gasped as various dolls and toys began moving of their own accord. Several dolls, both porcelain and wooden, quickly marched towards the sisters and Victor.

Freaked out, they ran out of the room and shut the door firmly behind them.

They let out a sigh, but their relief was premature as several doors down the hall swung open and rocks began to fly from each opening, pelting the unwelcomed visitors. They screamed as Prue flicked several stones away with her power and Piper froze what she could. They shielded themselves as best they could until eventually the attack stopped.

Phoebe caught her breath. "I guess she doesn't want us reading her diary."

"Well, tough," and Prue thumbed through the book.

Piper brushed her long disheveled hair from her face. "Why would a sweet toymaker put up this much aggression?"

"Something must have happened," and Prue continued flipping. "The rhyme said something about seeing what she had become and hateful hearts."

"Yes," Victor gleamed. "Good work, young miss!"

Prue stopped at a page and read. "Okay, well, she talks about her passion for toy-making. Sounds like she made all kinds of things: dolls, puzzles, lots of stuff. She says how much she loves the kids in the town…oh, because she can't have her own baby."

"Well, that's sad," Phoebe admitted, "but why is she on the offensive and abducting party guests?"

Prue flipped through some more. "I don't know, but she keeps mentioning someone called Marie. She writes very fondly of her. Maybe we're dealing with a lost-love thing"

"Well, in that case…" Piper looked up at the ceiling. "Cynthia! If you can hear us, we want to help you, but we need to know that our family and friends are okay."

They waited anxiously, but received no response.

Piper made another attempt. "How would you feel if you didn't know if Marie was safe?"

This got a response; perhaps more of one than they had wanted. Large cracks rumbled through the walls and everything began to shake. A huge fire burst up in front of them and began to spread through the space.

"Piper!" Prue cued.

Piper waved her hands at the inferno, but nothing happened. "Nope, she's not letting me freeze this one."

Victor looked at the flames. "I do recall a fire on one of the cards."

Phoebe thought for a moment and turned to Prue. "Hand me the journal."

Prue wasn't about to argue. She gave it to Phoebe, and Phoebe ran towards the fire.

"Phoebe!" Piper screamed.

"It's okay," Phoebe reassured her. She got as close to the fire as she possibly could without it burning her flesh and held the journal out in her hands. "This is yours, Cynthia," she shouted over the noise. "It holds your truth. I can use it to see what you need to be seen. Show me!"

Things began to calm down. The ash that fell like snow around them began to fade and the fire was reduced to a small ember in front of Phoebe.

A small female voice echoed around them. "Are you sure you want to know my pain?"

Prue was worried by the sound of that. "Phoebe, this might not be…"

"Yes," Phoebe interrupted, nervously. "Please let me know your story."

Phoebe gasped as she was pulled into a vision. The images seemed even more vivid than usual, perhaps due to Cynthia's part in the display. She saw the woman from the painting, Cynthia herself, crafting toys and handing them to the town's children. She looked so full of joy and seemed like such a gentle soul. As the images played in Phoebe's mind, so did Cynthia's echoing voice.

"I loved to see the joy on those children's faces. It meant so much that I could create something that brought them such joy. I longed for a child of my own, but I knew it was not possible. I had made peace with that…"

The vision flashed to Cynthia in the house with a woman who had to be Marie. They played games together, including a card game inside the tin the sisters had found.

"I had love in my life. A true love that made my soul sing. She made me believe in my own goodness; she made me feel worthy of happiness."

Cynthia and Marie sneaked towards a large mirror, which turned out to be a secret door. They swung it open to reveal a small but very pretty bedroom.

"We were terrified of being exposed, but we gave each other courage and strength. And we were very careful; we knew people wouldn't stand for it if they found out."

Now Phoebe realized that a young boy had wandered into the house holding a toy that needed fixing. He had seen Cynthia and Marie going into the room and he nudged the entrance open. He stared in shock as he saw them kissing, and quietly ran away.

"The poor boy could not know what would happen when he told his parents." Cynthia's voice continued. "We inspired such hatred."

Phoebe saw images of stones being thrown at Cynthia as she ran down the street. Outside her house, people left a pile of her toys on her porch and lit it on fire.

"We thought it would pass and it didn't matter. I had my strength, because I believed in what we had. I had her."

Phoebe's heart dropped into her stomach as she heard a loud gunshot. She saw Cynthia running out of her house in the middle of the night and rushing towards a bleeding body on her front lawn. Cynthia screamed with tears streaming down her face as she held Marie in her arms.

"They took her away from me," Cynthia's voice wept. "I couldn't go near the children anymore because they said they weren't safe near me. My family had abandoned me; ashamed to be associated with me."

Cynthia kissed Marie's forehead. She finished her crying and looked up into the distance with a new-found bitter rage in her heart. She went back inside the house and began smashing up her toys in a fit of grief. Everything except the tin that had brought them such enjoyment.

Phoebe came out of the vision. The ember was gone. She fell to her knees under the weight of all the emotions she had just felt.

Prue and Phoebe ran to her aid, one on either side of her.

"Is the young lady alright?" Victor asked, casually smoking his pipe.

"I knew that was a bad idea," Prue said as she wiped tears from her trembling sister's face.

Phoebe couldn't form words until she gathered herself. The sorrow she had just experienced was shattering. And yet, she felt somewhat privileged to have been the one Cynthia chose to share it with.

Piper rubbed Phoebe's shoulder. "Are you going to be okay? Prue and I can carry on with the weird Sherlock Dad if you need to rest."

Phoebe shook her head. "No, I know what we need to do… and I think I know where our friends are."

After venturing through various twists and turns in the old house, the sisters finally found the large mirror entrance to the hidden room.

Phoebe readied herself, her heart still racing from the vision. "Okay, I can do this."

"We can do this" Piper corrected.

Phoebe turned to them. "It's just I made a connection with her…"

Prue nodded. "We'll stay back, but we'll be there, okay?"

Phoebe agreed. She apprehensively opened the mirror door and they slowly walked into the room.

Victor twiddled his pipe. "I will wait here and stay on the lookout"

The sisters rolled their eyes simultaneously and then walked in, the mirror door slamming shut behind them. Once it had, the room was pitch black; they couldn't see a thing.

"Cynthia?" Phoebe whispered.

Suddenly the room was lit up by candlelight. Phoebe saw the bed from her vision. On it lay Cynthia. She laid on her side, awake, but silent. She wasn't alone. Marie's body laid next to her. The gunshot wound was visible, but otherwise she was perfectly preserved; no visible decay at all.

"This is Marie?" Phoebe asked gently.

Prue and Piper looked on behind her at the heart-breaking sight.

Cynthia had her arm around the body of her lost love. "They took her away from me," she whispered in a sob. "They were so cruel."

"I know" Phoebe nodded. "I saw it… felt it. But I also felt love and kindness."

"They took that away," Cynthia swiftly responded. "They took her away," she wept.

Piper wiped a tear from her eye as Prue kept a close watch on how close Phoebe was getting.

Phoebe took a step closer, and Prue was even more nervous.

"Cynthia," Phoebe softly spoke, "your soul has become trapped in this place because you're holding onto something and I don't believe it's just anger."

"This is what remains of our life together. It's empty and it rots, but it was ours. I should have saved her."

"But how?" Phoebe asked.

Cynthia inhaled. "If only I'd locked that door…"

"Cynthia," Phoebe started, "I didn't know Marie, but I felt enough in that vision to know that she would never blame you for any of this and she wouldn't want you to blame yourself." She looked at Marie beside her. "She loved you and I think in order to be free, you need to believe that you're deserving of that again."

Cynthia held Marie tighter for a moment and then released her grip a little.

In a puff of smoke beside the bed; Leo, Darryl and Sheila appeared. They were asleep, but otherwise unharmed.

"I'm sorry I took your loved ones," Cynthia apologized before she explained, "I just wanted to keep them safe."

"Safe from what?" Piper asked

"From the cruel world," Phoebe answered, knowing what Cynthia would say.

"They love." Cynthia looked at the sleeping innocents and gestured at Darryl and Sheila. "He fears for his wife and children, knowing about a world that they are unaware of." She then looked at Leo. "And he wants so much to protect his love, to fix everything for her…but it's out of his hands."

Phoebe nodded, understanding. "Like it was for you."

Marie's body slowly faded away and the room lit up with a great white light. Marie appeared, glowing and smiling.

"Marie!" Cynthia gasped. "Can you forgive me?"

Marie held out her arms and Cynthia slowly rose from the bed. She trembled weepily over to Marie and embraced her. A warmth filled the room as the two of them faded away into the light.

The cracks in the walls began to mend, sun shone into the house for the first time in ages and the painting of Cynthia downstairs changed back to its bright, smiling original form.

No sooner did the sisters witness the transformation of the house than they flashed back to where they'd started; in the Manor sitting room.

Everyone looked confused. They looked at the clock. It was midnight.

"Wow," and Sheila shook her head in amazement. "The night really flew by."

"Where's Cole?" Phoebe wondered out loud.

"I'm here!" The Source ran in from the kitchen. He kissed Phoebe on the cheek.

"Why weren't you taken with us?" Phoebe whispered. "And why didn't you appear with Leo and the Morrisses?"

He shrugged before whispering back, "Guess my demon half made me immune."

Prue looked suspicious and this time, Phoebe couldn't deny feeling the same way. "Lucky," was all she could say.

Later Piper stood by her bedroom mirror, combing the snarls from her long dark hair. Leo walked in from the bathroom.

"So I was taken by a ghost because she was overprotective?" he asked.

"Pretty much" Piper confirmed.

"Huh. At least you were okay. So we can get back to the positive."

"Leo. I…"

"I've found these juices online, that apparently boost the…"

"Leo!"

"What, honey, are you okay?"

"I'm scared." Piper quivered.

"I know, sweetie, but the odds are great; we just have to…"

"No!" she interrupted.

"No?"

"I love you so much and I love that you want to fix everything, that's who you are and it's admirable. But honey, I'm scared. And I don't need you to be uber-positive to counteract that, because there is no counteracting that. This is happening; it's scary and I just need you to hear that I'm scared and hold me."

Leo nodded.

"Is that okay?"

He nodded again, a bit shocked. "Yeah, of course, it is."

"I'm sorry; I just…"

Leo held her in his arms. "No, don't be. I'm just here. I'll hold you."

Phoebe and Victor sat in the kitchen with cups of cocoa.

"So did you work out where that tin came from?" Victor asked her.

"Well, Prue thinks Grams must have picked it up at this vintage toy store she used to go to. It's changed back to a normal game now; maybe next year we can actually play it."

"Strange that of all the games she could have bought, she picked that toy store and that tin" he commented between sips.

"Oh, well, that's no coincidence," Phoebe explained. "It's this whole universe, destiny thing with us. We've discovered that everything happens for a reason. A soul needed freeing; she found her way to us."

"It's good that you could help her. I am proud of you girls; the women you've become" he started.

Phoebe smiled.

"Have I ever told you that you're my favourite?"

Her eyes widened.

"Not favourite; that sounds really bad. Um…I mean, you've always been the one I related to the most. I don't know if that's much of a compliment, but I just felt the need to say it for some reason."

Phoebe nodded. "Thanks, Daddy."

"And thank you for inviting me tonight." He kissed her cheek. "How about one more piece of cake before I go?"

"Wow, you're a real cake demon tonight!"

"See you joke, but now I'm worried that that's actually a thing. And I can't help it; you know how good Piper's orange cake is."

"I'll got and cut a slice."

Phoebe went into the kitchen and found what was left of the orange cake on a dish. She opened the drawer and took out a sharp kitchen knife. She sliced into the cake and her hand slipped, causing her to cut her finger.

Phoebe winced in pain; it wasn't a deep cut, but she certainly felt it. She instinctively gathered some kitchen towel to wrap around it, but as she looked at her finger, she froze.

The blood that came out wasn't red as she expected, but jet black.

She watched it drop onto the kitchen counter and as it did, it bubbled slightly, letting off steam before completely solidifying like rock on the surface. As she looked in horror, her grip around the knife's handle tightened. She stepped back and heard someone coming up behind her.

The feeling of this oncoming presence made her mind flashback to weeks ago. She was in The Underworld and The Source of All Evil appeared behind her, ready to claim her freedom.

Panicked, Phoebe turned around and held the knife out in a threatening stance.

"Woah," Victor shouted. "Phoebe, it's me!"

Phoebe had snapped out of her flashback and yet she felt as if she couldn't let go of the knife. She trembled as her grip became so tight, it hurt her hand.

Having heard Victor's shout, Prue came running into the kitchen to see what was going on. "Phoebe?"

Phoebe stood still with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"She was fine a second ago," Victor fretted.

Prue noticed the black on the kitchen counter. She held out her hand and the knife flew from Phoebe's palm and into hers.

Phoebe fell to the ground, shaking. Victor ran to her side and held her. He looked up from his youngest daughter to his oldest one. "Prue, what just happened?"

Prue looked at her still-traumatised sister. "I think it's time we talk about what happened down in The Underworld."

Phoebe slowly looked up and nodded.


	6. Angel Falls

**Charmed  
Season 4, Episode 6  
"Angel Falls"  
By P3Nathan**

Prue, Piper sat across from Phoebe in the sitting room. The youngest Halliwell sister looked incredibly nervous in anticipation of the conversation that was about to take place.

"Okay," Prue began, "where to start?"

Piper reached out to take her younger sister's hand. "Just tell us everything you can, okay?"

Phoebe nodded, but not making eye contact with her sisters. "It's weird. Parts of it are kind of hazy. I mostly just remember the feelings…and the smell."

Piper had to know one thing right away. "Did they hurt you?"

Phoebe shrugged. "They threw me around a little at first, but once I was in the cell they mostly just left me alone."

"So they didn't…" Prue hesitated awkwardly. "They didn't hurt you… the other way."

Phoebe looked confused until she worked out what Prue was suggesting. "Oh no, nothing like that, thank God," and both Prue and Piper were very relieved, but still very concerned for what had happened to their little sister.

Just then Leo orbed into the room. "Sorry to interrupt."

"It's okay," Piper smiled before asking, "What did The Elders say?"

Leo took a deep breath before passing on The Elders' explanation: "In order for the black blood to have been introduced into Phoebe's body, they would've had to get close to her."

Prue turned back to Phoebe. "Did anyone come into your cell at all?"

Phoebe shook her head. "No." She thought for a moment. "Well…there was that time Cole escaped briefly."

"What happened then?" Piper asked encouragingly.

Phoebe shrugged. "He got into my cell, we kissed and that was pretty much it…the guards took him back right after."

Worried, Piper turned to Leo. "Would a kiss be enough to do it?"

Leo nodded. "I think so."

Phoebe ran her fingers through her hair nervously. "So we've decided it's Cole then?"

"Well, nothing is for certain, Phoebs," Prue softly said. "But we can't just ignore how it sounds"

"No, I know," and Phoebe wiped tears from her eyes. "It's just if you're right; if he's evil again…I'm the one who brought him back into our lives; into our home."

"Nobody's placing blame" Piper laid a hand on Phoebe's knee. "We can talk to Cole, get to the bottom of this."

Phoebe looked at both of them, pleading, "Let me talk to him first."

"Are you sure?" Prue anxiously asked.

"Yeah, I'll do it when you guys are close, just in case." Phoebe sighed. "I'm just gonna get some water," and she stood up, heading towards the kitchen.

Leo watched her leave as he sat across from Prue and Piper.

"So," Piper asked. "Did they have any idea about what the hell this black blood is?"

Leo exhaled, not wanting to impart the bad news, but knowing he had to. "It's sort of like a virus. It gets into her body and the deeper her mind falls into darkness the quicker it'll spread through her."

Prue and Piper looked at each other, deeply concerned.

"Well, what's The Source's endgame?" Prue wanted to know. "What happens once it's spread?"

"They're still trying to work out what exactly The Source is planning; this is new to them." Leo looked to the floor then muttered, "But from the sound of things, I think if it spreads completely, we might not be able to get her back."

Piper stared at him in shock. "You mean she'll die?"

Leo looked back up, his eyes sad and worried. "Or worse."

"Or worse? What does that…" 

Prue stopped talking when Phoebe came back into the room, carrying her glass of water. Seeing the looks on their faces, she asked, "Everything okay?"

"It will be" a determined Prue insisted. "We're getting that black blood out of you."

Sinead Griffiths sat waiting in the police station; her mind frantic. She knew many of the officers were staring and talking about her; they thought she's come unhinged. She didn't care. Who were they to judge anyway? They didn't know her. They hadn't felt her loss. They hadn't held her crying mother in their arms for hours at a time! Let them stare.

Police Captain Burrows came out of his office and called Sinead in, a wary look on his face. She sat across from him at his desk and waited for him to deliver what she knew already would be more bad news.

"I'm sorry to have to say this, Ms. Griffiths," the captain sighed, "but I'm afraid I really don't have anything new to tell you."

Sinead rolled her eyes. "Seriously? After all the strange things that have gone on around the Halliwells and after I gave you examples of one of your own inspectors sharing important information with one of them, you still don't have enough?"

"We'll deal with Inspector Morris internally; I can assure you of that. We have had some concerns about him for a while now," he explained. "But as for the Halliwells, Ms. Griffiths, there simply isn't enough evidence to make a case against them."

"Well obviously they're good at covering their tracks!"

The Captain looked silently at his desk.

Sinead noticed and smirked. "You're not disagreeing with me."

And he had to shake his head.

She had to know something. "You don't think I'm nuts?"

Very genuine sympathy coated his voice as he told her, "I want to help you; I really do. I'm just not sure how much our little precinct can do for you at this point."

Sinead looked out the window with tears in her eyes. 'Let the brick walls keep coming', she thought, 'I'm not giving up on justice for my brother quite yet.

Phoebe sat nervously on the edge of her bed, waiting for Cole to come out from the bathroom. As he did, she made eye contact with him. "Can you sit with me for a minute?" she asked. "I want to talk to you about something."

The Source cursed at the young witch internally, but in the interest of keeping up his façade, he smiled and nodded.

"I don't really know how to start…but I guess after everything we've been through, it'd be pointless pussyfooting around the issue, so I guess I'll just cut to the chase. You haven't said much about what happened to you down in the Underworld and I'm worried that The Source's influence might have gotten to you."

The Source feigned shock. "What? Phoebe, how can you think that?"

"Cole, I want to believe in you, but it's not like you haven't been influenced before, or are you forgetting Janna?"

The Source shook his head, assuming that was the name of the witch Raynor and Belthazor had attacked. "Of course not. I can't deny the things I've done Phoebe, but I swear to you, I'm trying to be good. It's just not easy after being a mercenary demon for so much of my life."

Phoebe thought for a moment and then sighed. "The Elders have said that in order to get the black blood into my system, somebody would have had to get very close. The closest anyone got while I was down there was our kiss."

"You know I wouldn't hurt you," he insisted, using Cole's most convincing, most loving tone.

"I guess I was unconscious for a while; it could've given him the opportunity. Or even if it was your kiss, maybe The Source played you too... cast a spell on you knowing you'd get close to me." Phoebe rubbed her tired eyes. "We can talk about this some more later."

"Where are you going?"

"I decided that I needed to get out of the house and do some good. Whatever it is I'm going through right now, helping people seems like a good coping strategy," Phoebe explained. "I'm volunteering at the hospital again."

The Source used Cole's best smile, the one he knew always got to Phoebe. "That sounds like a great idea."

"Yeah, well… plus Piper will be having her surgery soon, so it's an excuse to stay close to her when she goes in."

Phoebe considered getting close to Cole for a moment, but decided against it. She blew him a kiss to avoid upsetting him. "I'll call you later."

The Source watched her leave, both concerned and annoyed. "Guess I'll have to speed things along."

He walked over to the mirror and waved his hand. Two glowing red eyes appeared in the glass. "Klea, find me a way to exacerbate Phoebe's pain."

"Yes, my liege" the disembodied voice echoed through the mirror.

Leo stood in the kitchen preparing food as Piper sat smiling and watching. "It's weird being cooked for," she commented. "Nice, but weird."

Leo smiled. "Well, since you won't be able to eat anything home-cooked soon, I figured you'd want to enjoy eating while you can."

"Yeah, hopefully I won't be in too long. Hospital food is a cruel joke, especially for a former chef."

"We can bring snacks" Leo suggested as he stirred. He came to a sudden stop as a jingle chimed in his head. "Damn it."

"Elders?"

"Yeah," Leo sighed. "I'm getting a new charge; I was hoping it'd be after you were okay."

"Honey, the world doesn't stop turning just because I'm sick."

He sighed. "Yeah, but my world should."

Piper stood and kissed him. "This might be a positive thing. Maybe you'll be able to help this charge before I even go to the hospital."

Leo nodded. "I guess; she does live just across the street."

"Well, there you go. Go help an innocent."

The couple kissed and Leo orbed out just as Prue entered the room. "Hey, sis, thought you and Leo were hanging out today."

Piper sighed, audibly disappointed. "He just got called. New charge."

"Oh, well in that case, Phoebe's at the hospital today…"

"What? Is she okay?"

"Relax; it's okay; she's volunteering there again. Thought helping people would be good for her."

Piper let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good idea."

"So," Prue suggested, "since it's just you and me, how about some sister time?"

Piper smiled. "Chick flick time! You choose the movie; I'll make the popcorn," and Prue smiled.

At San Francisco Memorial Hospital, Phoebe walked down the corridor in her volunteer uniform with a trolley of water jugs and snacks. She maneuvered into the door way of a private room. A little boy (portrayed by Haley Joel Osmond) laid in bed while a man, presumably his father (portrayed by Gil Bellows), sat watching over him. The two of them were hand-in-hand and looked deep in thought. When they realised Phoebe was standing there, they both jumped and let go. The boy began to cough violently.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Phoebe apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," the father assured her. "It's not you. That's just his illness."

"I'm Phoebe," she greeted.

"I'm…" the father hesitated, "Karl… um, this is my son Jensen."

"Nice to meet you Jensen" Phoebe smiled.

"You, too" the boy wheezed.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked. "Water, snacks?"

"Just some water please" he requested.

Phoebe poured the water and gave the pair their privacy, walking down the corridor to the next room.

Karl turned to Jensen. "That was close."

"Make sure you shut the door next time," Jensen insisted.

Karl got up and closed the door before returning to his seat. "Okay, ready."

They held hands once again and closed their eyes. Two beams of silver light emerged from the father and son's chests. One shone from Karl's chest into his son's, the other from Jensen's chest into his father's. The light disappeared and they looked tired.

Karl laid a hand on his son's head. "Did you have a good day?"

Jensen smiled and nodded. "I went to the arcade. But people kept looking at me funny."

Karl laughed. "Well they're probably not used to having a lot of men my age in there. But I'm glad you enjoyed it. We can do the same tomorrow if you like."

"Dad?" Jensen asked, concern in his voice. "Isn't this dangerous? I don't want you to get hurt."

Karl shook his head. "Don't you worry about me. I'd let you have my body and take your sickness as my own permanently if I had the power to. Unfortunately, I don't…but at least I can give you a few fun hours. That's the least I can do for my son," and Jensen smiled.

Karl stood in the restroom, looking at himself in the mirror as he wiped tears from his face. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but he wasn't about to complain; he couldn't compare it to what his son was going through. Having experienced it firsthand; he knew that for sure.

Just then The Source materialised in one of the closed stalls behind Karl. He waved his hand over his clothes and Cole's black suit morphed into a doctor's uniform.

As he exited the stall, Karl looked at him, surprised. "Oh, I didn't know anyone was in here."

"I think I saw you talking to Phoebe Halliwell earlier, didn't I? Young volunteer, cute, blonde."

"Um, yeah, she seemed nice."

"Full of life that one. Vibrant, good." The Source got uncomfortably close to Karl's ear and whispered something into it. The words were hard to make out, but the sound echoed through the restroom like a company of malevolent spirits. The Source backed away. "I think your son would enjoy being someone so bright and full of life, don't you?"

Karl nodded silently.

Leo knocked on a door across the street from Halliwell Manor. He waited until a woman (portrayed by Amy Brenneman) answered.

"We're not interested," she said immediately.

"I'm not selling anything, promise" he responded. "I'm here to talk about your daughter and her gifts."

"I know what you're here for," she said sternly. "You're another whitelighter. Tell your bosses to leave my daughter the hell alone!"

"Please, just give me five minutes. That's all I ask. I'm Leo, and I actually live just across the street."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm Geraldine. Five minutes. But Maya is in her room and she doesn't like meeting new people."

Leo nodded and entered the house. Immediately he was struck by the number of photographs around the place. All of them included a man. "Is that your partner?" he asked.

"Husband," she answered abruptly. "He's in the army."

"I see. It must be difficult, having a young girl who's just discovering her magic. I can give you support, guide her through it," Leo explained. "We can try and make it as smooth as possible."

Geraldine scowled. "Make what as smooth as possible?"

"Well… accepting that she's a witch."

Geraldine laughed. "She's not a witch."

This perplexed Leo. "I'm confused. You know about whitelighters and The Elders…"

"I know about magic," Geraldine interrupted, "but my daughter is not going to be a part of it. This is what your precious Elders can't get through their thick skulls. My daughter will not be a pawn in their game."

"Geraldine, I swear, all I want is to help make this transition easier for your daughter. Could I maybe see her for a couple of minutes?"

"Like I said, she's in her room."

"Okay," and Leo ran upstairs before Geraldine could stop him.

"That wasn't an invitation!"

Leo got upstairs and found a padlocked door. "Please tell me this isn't her room."

"Mommy, who's that?" a voice called from inside.

Geraldine caught up to him. "Don't worry; he's leaving."

"Why is she locked in there?" Leo demanded to know.

"She was at a party when her power emerged. She absorbs solar energy. She can't control it; she nearly incinerated everyone there! We were lucky. They were shooting off fireworks, so we were able to blame it on them, say they were faulty. It won't happen again."

"I can help her to control it." Leo pleaded.

"I've said no, multiple times," Geraldine insisted before demanding, "Now get out!"

"Leave!"

Realising he would need to revaluate the situation, Leo orbed out.

Phoebe struggled to open her eyes, feeling unusually weak. She looked up at the ceiling. Where was she? The light was harsh and the smell was familiar. She was at the hospital. She felt awful, as if there was a huge weight on her chest. She let out multiple coughs, but the feeling didn't clear. She struggled to breathe. She looked at her hands and was horrified to realise that she was in a child's body. She looked around and saw Karl sitting beside her.

"Shh, relax," Karl told her apologetically. "It's only temporary."

"What did you do?" Phoebe gasped through the boy's frail body.

"I'm just giving Jensen the chance to be in his twenties. Just for a day."

Karl adjusted the IV drip and Phoebe grew drowsier until she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

Leo sat by Piper, explaining everything that had happened with his charge.

"I'm just not sure what to do," he sighed.

"Well, it sounds to me like you need to call child services," his wife insisted. "I mean if she's keeping her daughter prisoner, that's not a magical issue, it's child abuse."

"But she's doing it because her daughter's magical. It could expose magic. I just think if I could get to the core of what she's afraid of…"

Leo was interrupted by a shattering sound.

"What the hell?" Piper got up to see what was happening. She found that someone had thrown a stone through the window. She heard shouting from outside.

Piper and Leo went out to see what the commotion was about. Standing outside the Manor were three outraged men.

"We've heard all about you, scumbag!" one of them shouted. "Like stalking little girls, do ya?"

"What? Whoa." Leo tried to defend himself. "I think you've got the wrong idea."

"Geraldine told us all about it, you freak!" One of the men revealed a carton of eggs and began to throw them in Leo's direction.

Before anything could hit, Piper froze the scene. "Still think you can reason with her?"

The couple didn't realise that Sinead was in her car just down the road watching the events unfold, too far away to be frozen herself. She couldn't believe her own eyes as she gawped at the eggs suspended in mid-air.

"It's like what happened when you were exposed," Leo sighed. "Keeping secrets…makes it easy for people to believe we're the bad guys. Guess that's what you get for being magical and trying to live amongst civilised people."

Piper looked at the frozen attackers. "Well then, it's a good thing we don't, isn't it?"

Jensen made the most of Phoebe's energy. He had run around the park just outside the hospital multiple times. He got a lot of funny looks, but he was used to that from spending so much time in his father's body. He felt something in Phoebe's uniform pocket. He fished out a car key and his face lit up with excitement. _I've never driven before,_ he thought. _I'll probably never get to again; I should make the most of it. He ran to the parking lot and repeatedly clicked the button on the car key to work out which one it belonged to._

Prue was walking down Prescott Street. She saw eggs splattered about the Manor and shattered glass. "What the hell?"

She was about to run inside, but she stopped when her cell phone rang. "Hello. Yes, it is. Oh my God, is she okay? Alright I'll be there as soon as possible."

Piper and Leo orbed into Geraldine's house. She came out of the kitchen and looked furious. "How dare you!"

"How dare us?" Piper gaped. "How dare you! Making accusations about my husband like that when all he wanted to do was help your daughter!"

Geraldine practically cackled. "Help her? Oh I am so sick of hearing The Elder's lapdogs spout this crap!"

"Lapdog?" Piper scoffed. "Trust me, lady; The Elders and I are far from best buddies, but what you're doing is wrong."

"If you let Maya out, I can help her control her magic, I promise," Leo begged. "Just give me a chance."

To their shock, Geraldine responded, "I believe you."

"Well," Piper began after she managed to pick her chin up off the floor, "Then why…"

"You'll help her to control it; she'll be able to use it against evil and then what?" Geraldine became teary-eyed. "My little girl fights for The Elders?"

Leo shook his head. "No, she's too young. It's just about helping her discover and be comfortable with her abilities."

Geraldine rolled her eyes. "Right. For now. Then when she's old enough, she'll have to battle. Plus, let's face it, once she's embraced her power, Evil will get wind of it before long and then we can say bye bye to any normal childhood."

Piper looked at Leo. "Well, there are potions that can bind her powers until she's ready."

Geraldine wiped a tear from her cheek as she looked at a photo of her husband, holding them. "Do you know how hard it is to sleep without him next to me? Every time there's a knock at the door, my heart stops for a moment, thinking it might be someone coming to tell me that…"

Piper and Leo reached out for each other's hand, unable to say a word.

Geraldine sighed. "I already lie awake wondering if he'll come home. I can't bear to do the same for my little girl."

"Well that's part of why I'm here." Leo told her. "I can support you as well as her, reassure you of her safety. Make sure you're both well prepared."

Piper smiled. "He's very good at his job, I promise. He was in the army too, so he might have some insight there."

Geraldine's expression softened. "I'm sorry for the accusations. I'll go around to everyone and tell them the truth. Well…not the witch part, but everything else. I'm so sorry. It's just so hard to deal with. At least my husband chose to fight; I felt like my child was having her choice ripped from her. But now I realise that I was the one taking her freedom, not you."

Geraldine took Piper and Leo upstairs and unlocked the bedroom door to reveal a little girl, Maya, in a dark room.

"Mommy" she yelped. She embraced her mother in a hug.

"Hello, sweetheart. This is Leo; he's here to be your guide."

Geraldine opened the curtains and the sun shone in on little Maya's face. Her skin began to sparkle and her hands began to glow.

"Can you show me how to control my magic?" Maya asked Leo.

Piper smiled at her husband, very, very proud that he was a whitelighter.

"I can, Maya," he answered. "It'd be an honour."

Geraldine smiled. "Thank you."

Prue speed-walked down the corridors of San Francisco Memorial until she finally got to Phoebe's room. Phoebe was sitting up in her bed. Karl was sitting beside her, as was Jensen in a wheelchair hooked up to an IV drip on wheels.

"Phoebe, what happened?" Prue asked. "Who's this?"

"I'm Phoebe," she said from Jensen's body.

Jensen waved Phoebe's hand. "Hi, I'm Jensen," he said, then pointed at himself. "That's my body."

"Um… I don't…" Prue started.

"She just got some whiplash, nothing serious," Karl pitched in. "I was about to swap them back."

Phoebe and Jensen held hands.

"Ready?" Karl asked. When they nodded, he waved his hand and two beams of light switched between the two bodies.

Prue looked on astounded and befuddled.

Phoebe breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew that's better."

"Somebody want to clue me in here?" Prue demanded.

Phoebe stood up. "My buddy Jensen unfortunately has cystic fibrosis, and his daddy wanted him to have a fun day out being a twenty-something. He realises how stupid he was and he's sorry."

Karl nodded. "I really am. I really should have asked her permission first."

"Phoebe, stay with Jensen." Prue turned to glare at Karl. "You come with me," and Karl complied.

Prue led Karl outside into the corridor, away from the room. "So I take it you're a witch?"

"Yes, body switching is my power… obviously. Usually I trade places with Jensen, but then we met Phoebe and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm sorry."

"Do you realise how bad this could have been?" Prue asked sternly.

"I know; I've never even thought of taking someone else's body before. I don't know what came over me. It was so wrong. I'm just not sure how much time Jensen has left."

"Well that's kind of my point, Karl." Prue softened her voice. "I mean, aside from the ethical issues stealing someone's body… if Jensen's body gave out when someone else was inside, you'd basically be killing someone."

Karl covered his mouth with his hand, realising what he could've done.

Prue sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"No," Karl interrupted. "You're right. I set a terrible example for him."

Prue looked down. "Is there nothing the doctors can do?"

"Just make him comfortable," Karl sighed. "In some cases they can give a lung transplant, but it was too far along for him; his breathing is so bad he wouldn't survive the anesthesia."

Prue welled up. "I'm sorry. I can't even imagine…" At the look of distraught that came over Karl's face, Prue reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. "We'll also do everything we can to make him comfortable."

Meanwhile Phoebe was still sitting beside Jensen. "So did you at least have some fun before the accident?"

"Yeah it was cool. Sorry about your car."

"Well I actually borrowed it from my sister…"

Jensen's eyes widened.

"Hey, don't worry," Phoebe giggled. "She's not as scary as she seems. I'll handle it."

Jensen thought for a moment. "Hey, Phoebe?"

"Yeah?"

"There was one thing when I was in your body that was kind of weird."

"What was that?"

"Well, your body has lots of energy and strength, in that way it was miles better being you than being me…"

Phoebe smiled sympathetically.

"…but your head. It felt weird. Kind of dark. Like there was something creeping inside me. As great as the rest of your body was, it kind of made me miss my own. My head feels safer. Does that make sense? What is that?"

Phoebe looked down at the floor. "Well, the thing is, Jensen, I'm also unwell. But it's not like how you're unwell… my illness is up here," and she tapped her head with her finger.

"In your mind?"

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah. See, you know when someone has an accident and they break their ankle or something… the body needs time to heal."

Jensen nodded. "So something happened that broke your mind?"

Phoebe smiled softly. "That's right, sweetie…and I'm going to need some time to heal."

Jensen held her hand. "I hope you're going to be okay. It sucks being broken."

Tears formed in Phoebe's eyes. She stroked Jensen's hair and kissed him on the forehead.

Phoebe laid in bed wide awake. It was the night before Piper's surgery, so she wasn't expecting to get much sleep anyway, but recent events had certainly made her mind even less easy. She looked beside her to see her lover sleeping. She laid a hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She ran her hands up and down his back. She wrapped her arms around him and focused her mind as hard as she could. Nothing; not even a flash. This didn't settle Phoebe's mind. She laid back down and stared at the ceiling.

Piper woke up when her alarm rang. She had probably been asleep for about an hour and a half, anticipating the early rise and her operation. Leo kissed her cheek.

"Urgh, it's early," she moaned. "Is it even light out yet?"

"Nope."

"I can't believe it's today. I'm so nervous, but at the same time I can't wait to get it over with."

Leo smiled at her. "By the way, thank you for the help yesterday."

"You're welcome. No torches and pitchforks so I guess Geraldine set the record straight like she said she would."

"I thought I might orb over to her husband's army base," Leo suggested. "Just so I can let them know if he's okay."

"That's a nice idea," Piper smiled, but then frowned as something hit her. "Would the Elders approve?"

"Probably not, but I think it's worth the risk of pissing them off."

"Hey, you know me;" she grinned. "I always think it's worth that risk."

"I guess we'd better get ready,"

Piper's grin faded. "Yeah."

Prue bit into a slice of toast as she came out of the kitchen to see Phoebe sitting on a chair. "Okay, so I'll drive; we'll take Piper's car. Dad is meeting us at the hospital. I've got everything figured out at P3 for at least the next two weeks. Have you got her bag?"

Phoebe just stared into space.

"Phoebe?"

Phoebe jumped. "Um, sorry just tired. What was that?"

"Piper's bag of stuff for the hospital. Towels, robe, bathroom stuff?"

"Oh, yeah," Phoebe nodded. "I put it in the trunk already."

"Okay, great." Prue started pacing. "I have nothing left to do."

Phoebe tapped the chair next to hers. "So sit," and Prue complied.

"I'm scared," Prue admitted.

Phoebe rested her head on her big sister's shoulder. "Me, too"

"Let's talk about something less stressful," Prue proposed. "Did you talk to Cole?"

Phoebe had to laugh. "That's less stressful?"

Prue shrugged.

"He assured me that he's innocent. But I dunno…last night I tried to get a vision from him and I couldn't see anything."

That totally confused Prue. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"I guess. It's just I've gotten a lot better at getting visions on command. I can usually get a tiny flash or a sense at the very least. With Cole, there was just nothing…not even a vibe."

Prue nodded as Piper and Leo came downstairs. "Okay, everybody ready?" Piper asked.

"Didn't think you'd be so ready," Phoebe admitted.

"I want it done," Piper firmly explained. "I can't be hanging around here waiting, so I'm ready when you guys are."

Everyone agreed and they made their way to the hospital. It was a surreal experience for Piper as she sat in the back, looking out the window. She stared at all the people in their cars and out on the street, going about their routines. It was weird how life kept going when she felt so much terror inside.

They arrived at the hospital and Victor waited holding a teddy bear. Piper hugged him. "Thank you Daddy," she smiled.

"I do realise you're not ten… but you know, you'll always be my little girl and… well I just liked the look of it." Victor stuttered, holding back too much emotion. "Hey, Leo," and Leo nodded back.

"We should check in at reception," Prue told them before turning to Victor and Leo. "You guys take a seat."

The three sisters went to the reception desk leaving Victor and Leo alone in the waiting area.

"It's probably a stupid question when we're sitting in a place like this," Victor admitted, "but how are you doing?"

"Honestly I don't know. Kind of feels like I've been on automatic pilot. It's all just happened so fast."

"Yeah. I appreciate the support you've given, you know? To all my girls, but Piper especially."  
"Thank you."

"I know I gave you a hard time; prejudged you because of my own issues. The truth is…I've never been so happy to be so wrong about someone."

Leo smiled at his father in law.

"You're a good man, Leo, and magical bureaucracy aside, I'm really happy you and Piper found each other."

"That means a lot, Victor."

Victor put an arm around Leo and gave him an encouraging fatherly hug.

A few hours later, Piper's name was called. The family embraced her, having been told that they couldn't go any further. Piper trembled as she said her goodbyes and walked away from them. She would've given anything for them to be by her side.

Before she knew it, she was in a small room on a gurney, having a cannula inserted into her hand. It hurt, but fortunately it didn't take long. Several doctors and nurses stood around her talking. Tears in the back of her throat bubbled with fear.

A male voice told her to count back from ten as he inserted a liquid through her veins, so she did: 

'10. I hope Leo's okay.  
9\. Will my sisters be safe without me?  
8\. I wish they'd let Dad in.  
7\. I wish my Mom was here.  
6\. Please let me be okay.'

Everything went black. All she could do now was sleep and hope.

-  
 **Next time on "Charmed"-  
** The labyrinth reveals deep secrets on both sides. 


	7. Every Witch Way

**Charmed  
Season 4, Episode 7  
"Every Witch Way"  
By P3Nathan**

It was very early in the morning, before sunrise. The sound of metal clinking could be hurt at the front door of the empty Halliwell Manor. Empty of human life that is. Trusted familiar Kit look suspiciously at the door, debating whether to attack whatever lurked behind or hide.

The door gave in as Sinead Griffith made her way through.

Kit snuck away before she could see her.

Sinead crept around the dark house and made her way into the kitchen. She looked curiously at the various ingredients in the kitchen; some of them were basic kitchen herbs, but some were more unusual than anything she'd seen in a kitchen before. She turned to the work top and saw what looked like hardened black lava, stuck to the surface.

Her curiosity was too strong to deny. She moved towards the black substance and barely touched it with the tip of her finger. She jolted back in pain and saw that she had a small burn on her fingertip. She could've swore that it glowed.

She left the kitchen and looked up the staircase. If they were hiding something important, it'd probably be upstairs, she thought. She was about to walk up the stairs when a vase smashed behind her. Kit had pushed it off the shelf, but she was hidden from sight in the shadows.

Now completely spooked, the already nervous Sinead decided to play it safe and ran out the front door, closing it behind her. Besides, her finger was still throbbing.

Later that morning, a car pulled up on Prescott Street. Prue and Phoebe got out, shortly followed by Leo. Leo opened the back car door and Piper slowly began to get herself out of the vehicle. She looked tired and could only move slowly due to the pain. Prue and Leo held either side of her and helped her up out of the car.

"Do you need some pain killers when we get inside?" Phoebe asked.

"No, I'll be okay once I'm settled down," Piper replied. "You should go back to the hospital; I'm fine."

"I'm staying with you until lunch. They were very understanding, so deal with it."

Phoebe opened the door as Prue and Leo held the middle sister.

"That's odd" Phoebe commented as she opened it, seeing the shattered vase on the floor.

Prue sighed. "Don't tell me we've had a break in."

"When it rains it pours," Piper groaned as Leo helped her up the stairs, her sisters following them.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Leo asked once he had her settled in bed.

"I'm fine. Just need to catch up on sleep. Hospital sleep is like hospital food; it looks like the real thing, but it's actually a million miles away. I'd better rest up, not long before I'll be going back for my next appointment."

Leo smiled and nodded, glad to see his wife was able to joke. Once Piper was comfy, they left her to rest.

"Do you want me to take her to her appointment?" Prue offered. "It's okay if you have charges."

"Thanks, but… first time having radiotherapy, I think I should be there for her," Leo replied, saddened by his own words.

Prue took his hand. "At least it's not chemo, honey."

Leo nodded. "Yeah, that is a relief."

The scene in the Manor was being viewed in a dish of glittering water by an attractive, musclebound warlock (portrayed by Brian J. White). He smirked at the sight of Piper asleep in the bed. "This may be easier than I thought," he said to himself. He waved his hand over the water and the image faded away. "Charmed Ones. I do hope you have fun in my little world. I promise to make your final moments as memorable as possible."

In the water was an impressive sight: an enormous labyrinth with towering walls that seemed to go on for eternity.

(Opening Credits)

In the basement, Leo watched Prue, Piper and Phoebe who stood in a circle.

Prue turned to Piper, concern in her eyes and in her voice. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"If there's a chance it helps Phoebe, then yes." Piper insisted.

Phoebe smiled at her sister's determination. "You don't have to push yourself for me, Piper. I think getting back into volunteering has done some good, I feel miles better."

Piper shook her head. "That's great, Phoebe, but I want that infection out of you." She turned to Leo, "The Elders think this has a shot at working?"

"They trust in the Power of Three and so do I, and your individual powers have grown a lot stronger over the years," Leo replied, although the tone in his voice told them that he wasn't really that certain. "Perhaps your collective magic will be great enough to undo what The Source has done."

Prue nodded. "Okay, talk us through it."

"Join hands" he began.

The sisters did so.

"Now close your eyes and feel your magic rising from a place of strength. The faith you have in each other."

It took some time. Slowly but sure however, the sisters tapped into their personal magic. Leo smiled as each sister was surrounded by a sphere of glowing white energy. The three globes of power lit up the dreary basement.

"Okay, good. Now reach out to each other with your souls. One step at a time; first Prue and Piper."

Prue and Piper focused on each other for a while; thought of all their times together and the support they'd given each other. Their two magical sphere vibrated and merged into one larger sphere that surrounded both of them.

Prue and Piper gasped, smiling.

"I can feel your power," Prue cried.

"Me, too," Piper agreed. "Head rush."

Leo smiled. "Okay, nearly there. Now connect with Phoebe, but take it slow."

Prue and Piper repeated the focusing they had done with each other. Phoebe embraced her love for her sisters more than ever. The spheres vibrated and began to move closer and closer together, but as they touched, Phoebe was pushed across the room by a burst of crimson-red energy.

Prue and Piper's eyes jolted open and their sphere of magic faded.

"Phoebe!" they cried, running to their sister's aid.

Phoebe wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry."

"Does she need healing?" Leo asked.  
"I think she's okay," Prue replied before turning to her little sister. "What happened?"

Phoebe hung her head. "I felt your love and I came so close to connecting, but then the darkness crept in again. I'm sorry."

"It's okay" Piper reassured her.  
"This why we're training, Phoebe," Leo counselled. "We can try again, so don't worry."

Prue was talking on the phone while she thumbed through her portfolio of photography. "I'm so nervous. I wish you could be there tonight."

"I'll be thinking of you," Bane Jessup told her from the phone in the jail. "You'll knock 'em dead, don't worry."

Prue smiled. "I wish my head could be more in the game, but there's just so much going on right now."

"How is Piper?" he asked.

"Okay. She's happy to be home. She has radiotherapy later today and the pills are making her a little groggy, but she's tough."

"And Phoebe?"

Prue sighed. "Honestly, I don't know…"

Piper wearily entered the room wearily.

"But thank you for asking," Prue smiled. "It's nice being able to talk to someone on the outside, ya know?"

"Don't you mean on the inside?" he joked.

"You know what I mean," she laughed. "I'll let you know how tonight goes, okay?"

"Okay, talk soon."

Prue put down the phone and turned to Piper who was now sitting on the sofa. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Frustrated. I have so little energy, but I'm just sick of being cooped up in here already."

"Would you be okay to go out if you were mostly sitting," Prue asked.

"I guess. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I have the start of a project in mind…" Prue began but found herself interrupted by loud footsteps.

Phoebe stormed downstairs, followed by The Source. "Please just talk to me, Phoebe," he pleaded, using Cole's most-sympathetic voice.

"We have talked, Cole." Phoebe told him while putting on her coat. "I just need some space to think, okay? I'll see you when I get back from the hospital."

"I just don't want there to be a wedge between us," he insisted, toying with her. "That's probably just what The Source wants."

"From how are the Power of Three exercise went, I'd say there's a wedge between me and everyone!" she exclaimed, edging towards the door. "Like I said, I'll see you later."

"Well, let me take you."

"I think she'd rather you didn't," Prue sternly chimed in, seeing her little sister's discomfort.

The Source looked at Prue with fire in his eyes. He turned back to Phoebe. "Maybe it's not just what The Source wants, hm? Has she been putting ideas in your head?"

"I have a mind of my own, Cole, now back off," and Phoebe stormed out the front door.

"Maybe you could use some breathing space yourself," Prue suggested.

"When I want your opinion," he seethed, "I'll ask for it!"

Prue glared back. "And when I need your permission to speak, hell will have frozen over!"

There was a moment of awkward silence, in which The Source imagined the joy of throwing a fireball at the eldest Halliwell, before he sighed and stormed out of the house himself. He couldn't deny that Prue might have been right with that suggestion.

Getting involved in domestic scuffles. He shook his head at himself. Maybe he'd spent too long in their house. Still, judging by the restless tossing and turning Phoebe was still doing in her sleep; the time seemed to have been well spent.

The warlock looked at the labyrinth before him and smiled. "Not long now. I've been in this place far too long. Once the labyrinth claims the Charmed Ones' lives and I have claimed their powers, I will be tethered to this reality no longer."

He lit candles and cut his own palm with an athame, allowing the blood to drip into his pool of water.

"By the power of Olympus and Hades," he chanted, "I beckon the Charmed Ones into my domain!"

The water bubbled and steamed.

Phoebe pushed young Jensen in his wheelchair down the corridor and back into his room.

His father was waiting for them. "Hey, you two get some fresh air?" Karl smiled.

"Yeah, thanks, Phoebe," Jensen replied, even as he looked longingly at his bed.  
"Oh, no, problem Jensen. You know you're my favorite around here. Our little secret," and Phoebe winked as Karl helped her lift Jensen from his chair and get him back into bed.

"Phoebe's been telling me all about herself," Jensen told his father with as much excitement as he could muster. "Do you know she lives in a big manor house?"

"Really? Wow!" Karl replied. He turned to Phoebe. "Do you have a big family?"

"Well there's my two sisters, my brother-in-law and my boyfriend…oh and our cat, of course." Phoebe dug her purse out of her pocket and opened it to a couple of little photos. There was one of Phoebe with Prue and Piper, and one of Phoebe and Cole. She showed them the pictures.

"Who's that?" Karl asked, disturbed, as he pointed to Cole.

"That's Cole Turner," she replied. "He's my boyfriend."

"I saw him," Karl told her, now deeply concerned, "I don't know how I forgot, but I was in the restroom and he said something that made me think to switch your body with Jensen's. It's weird; it's like my memory was just blanked out until just now when I saw his face."

Phoebe's heart sank. She didn't know what to say or think besides "No, Cole. No."

Karl noticed her expression. "I'm sorry. Have I caused you more trouble?"

Phoebe shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat. "No, no, I um… I'm sorry but I think I'm going to have to go. I'll see you soon, Jensen."

"Bye," he smiled, even as he closed his eyes, already starting to fall asleep.

Phoebe quickly left the room and stood in the corridor. She held onto the wall to steady herself as she suddenly found it quite difficult to stand up straight and breathe easily. She took a moment to gather herself before walking down the corridor.

As she did, her surroundings began to blur. She felt a similar sensation to when she had been transported into the past, or when Cole had shimmered with her. The hospital around her vanished as she was pulled to another place.

Prue helped Piper to step up onto the cable car and they found themselves a seat. The pair were happy that they had managed to get onto one of the older vehicles; the more modern ones just didn't have quite the same charm. They looked out the window and viewed the city on the gloriously sunny day as the cable car set off.

"Thank you for this," Piper smiled. "It was a good idea."

"Well, I thought about how long it'd been since we really took in the city. Seemed like as good a time as any." Prue sat back, beginning to relax as the breeze blew through her raven hair.

"Didn't you say you had a project in mind?"

"Yeah, I was thinking of all these different places I could go to, to get some great pictures of architecture and nature…and then I realized that maybe I should be looking for inspiration closer to home first. I love this place. It'd be great if I could get to the heart of it and share that with people. Kind of a love letter for where we all grew up; you know?"

Piper nodded. "That sounds like a really great plan." She suddenly winced a little.

"Are you okay?" Prue asked. "Was this too soon?"

"No, it's fine, honestly. I just get moments where the pain gets really sharp. That's just what happens when you've had people cutting into you."

"Okay, but you'll tell me if you're not, right? Don't want you popping any stitches."

"So long as I'm not lifting anything, I'll be fine."

As Piper finished her sentence, their surroundings blurred and before they knew it they were in the middle of a path with walls of rock and vines towering either side of them. Phoebe stood before them.

"Whoa!" Prue exclaimed. "Where are we?"

"Good question," Phoebe replied as she looked around.

"Did we just disappear surrounded by countless people?" Piper asked, concerned. "Won't that expose magic again?"

The warlock blinked in front of the sisters. "Don't worry. My transportation spell makes any non-magical being who sees it forget it instantly."

"Who the hell are you?" Prue demanded.

"My name is Bastien and this is my realm… or rather my prison and you are going to help me leave it."

"Well you just blinked," Phoebe pointed out. "So what's stopping you?"

"I can only move in and around this labyrinth; I can't leave it. However, the power of the Charmed Ones will be stronger than the magic keeping me here."

"Oh, no, a warlock trying to steal our powers," Prue snarked, rolling her eyes. "You do realize how many have failed at that, right?"

"Oh, yes, but I don't plan on getting my hands dirty. See, one perk of being here is that I can devour the essence of anyone who the labyrinth takes. So, enjoy your final moments, witches."

Piper was about to freeze him, but she lifted her arms a bit too high, causing herself a twinge of pain and Bastien blinked out.

"This can't be happening" Piper despaired, "I'm going to end up missing my radiotherapy if we don't get out of here. Prue's going to miss her exhibit!"

"That's not all," Phoebe added ominously. "Our suspicions were right - Cole is evil again."

"What?" Prue asked. "How do you know?"

"Karl told him to use me for the body switching."

"Why would he do that?" Piper puzzled.

"It could've been pretty traumatizing for me, being in Jensen's body…" Phoebe theorized. "Or my body could have died when he crashed the car."

"Plus if The Source got to him, who knows what his plan is. Remember all the crazy stuff he sent our way last year when he was working for The Triad?" Prue turned to reach and hold Phoebe's shoulder. "Phoebs, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"It just feels like information overload at the moment. My emotions were already frazzled, I'm not sure how to react. But all the more reason we need to get out of here. He could be doing God knows what. He could be back in the house."

Piper got out her cell phone and dialled. "Leo, it's me. I need you to look up a warlock named Bastien in The Book."

"Are you okay?" he asked, worried. "Were you attacked?"

"Not attacked, at least not yet. We're in a labyrinth. A warlock called Bastien put us here, but I'm with Prue and Phoebe, so don't worry."

"Well I can orb to you."

"No! You could end up stuck here with us. Just see what you can find and call me when you have info, okay?"

Leo reluctantly complied. "Okay."

"Oh…," she quickly added. "Is Cole in the house?"

"No, why?"

"If he shows up, keep an eye on him. We think he might be working for The Source again."

Leo's sigh could be heard through the phone. "Okay, I will. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie," and Piper hung up. "Okay, that's our intel set up. Let's see what we can do."

But Prue had to check first. "You okay to try this?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll keep my arms low this time."

Prue and Piper turned to one of the walls and both raised their hands. The wall refused to even crack slightly under the force of Prue's telekinesis, nor did Piper's explosive power have any impact other than to singe a few of the vines. Accepting that they were defeated, Prue and Piper lowered their arms.

Prue sighed. "Guess we're doing this the normal way."

Phoebe thought for a second. "Maybe not. Stand back - I'll see if I can find the exit."

Prue and Piper stepped away as Phoebe raised her arms and levitated. She went further and further up until she realized that the walls were growing taller and taller the higher she soared. She stopped for a moment and so did the walls. After a few seconds, she tried to continue to rise above but the walls resumed following her upwards and blocking her view.

It was Piper's turn to sigh. "Normal way it is."

Phoebe huffed as she floated back down and the walls reverted to their original height.

Suddenly the ground began to rumble and bounce. The sisters were thrown to the floor away from each other, Piper writhing in pain. New walls shot out from the ground separating them. The labyrinth shifted until the sisters were unable to see each other.

"Piper! Phoebe!" Prue called, bashing her hand against the wall before her.

"I'm okay!" Phoebe shouted. "Piper?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine…" Piper took a deep breath as she grabbed one of the wall's vines and pulled herself up, "Just gonna need some more help from meds once we're home. What are we going to do?"

Prue closed her eyes and focused her mind, in an attempt to reach her sister. She let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't even astral through the damn thing!"

"Then I guess we'll have to find the exit ourselves," Piper concluded.

"No," cried Phoebe before pointing out what she thought was obvious. "That means splitting up."

Prue crossed her arms. "Which is obviously what Bastien wants…"

That sent all three sisters simultaneously into despair.

Back in the mausoleum, The Source stood before a pair of glowing red eyes.

"Are you troubled, my liege?" Klea's voice echoed.

"The sisters are becoming suspicious," he explained. "Including Phoebe."

"Will the prophecy still come to pass?" she had to ask.

"Oh, I assure you it will. I haven't come all this way just to fail now. However, we may have to speed things along. There may not be enough time to keep up the subtle approach. Is Phoebe still at the hospital?"

Klea's eyes shimmered out for a moment, then returned. "No, my lord. She has been trapped by a warlock…but that's not all."

"What is it?"

"She is trapped in the labyrinth."

"No! The labyrinth will use her inner turmoil to destroy her! Klea, I have a job for you…"

In the labyrinth, Prue felt like she'd already been walking for at least an hour. "Okay Prue," she told herself. "Follow your instincts and you'll be out of here in no time."

"That's my Prue," spoke a male voice from behind her. "You always had brilliant instincts."

Prue jumped at the sudden sound and spun around to see who it was. Her jaw dropped and her heart almost shot into her throat as she saw who the voice belonged to.

"Andy?" she gasped in disbelief.

Andy Trudeau stood before her in his brown leather jacket and smiled. "Hey, Prue."

Piper walked slowly down the path, her hand against the wall for extra stability.

"Just keep breathing," she whispered. "Breathe through the pain." The nausea her pills caused took hold and she had to stop. She groaned and leaned against the wall some more, trying to breathe through it and hoping not to throw up.

"I'm sorry to see your health has taken another turn for the worst." a voice said before her.

She looked up and her eyes widened. "Doctor Williamson?"

"Oh, please, call me Curtis" he insisted, "It's not as if you're my patient anymore. I don't have any patients now."

Suddenly the guilt of his loss washed over Piper all over again. "I… I'm sorry we failed you. I'm sorry I failed you."

"Water under the bridge. I'm here to discuss you."

Piper looked confused. "Me?"

"Yes. Well, clearly you're ill and I think we should talk about how you intend to control the damage from what will happen next."

Piper stared, perplexed and speechless.

"I mean we know what happens when you're sick, don't we?" his tone becoming harsher. "You abuse your gifts. You and your sisters play God and people end up dead. Isn't that right?"

"I undid the spell" she pleaded.

"And then your boyfriend… was he your boyfriend back then? Nobody where I am could keep track of that. He gave you a miracle, didn't he? Because you were more deserving than all the other dying people in that hospital, weren't you?"

"I'm not going to apologize for not wanting to die, but I swear it's not like that now…"

"Oh, please, you're just as weak now. The Power of Three will already be weakened because of you and your frailty," he seethed. "Why must people's lives be but at stake because of your weakness?"

Piper's eyes filled with tears. She didn't notice that the vines from the walls began crawling towards her and crept around her feet.

Prue wiped tears from her eyes. "It can't be you. This is just one of the warlock's tricks."

"The last time we saw each other, you sat with me on a bench above the clouds," Andy softly reminded her. "Would the warlock know that?"

"Still…he wants my powers." Prue struggled to catch her breath. "I can't let myself be vulnerable right now. He knows that."

"I don't mean to make you vulnerable, Prue. I just came to see you, one last time, before I say goodbye."

That just confused Prue. "But you said goodbye, remember?"

Andy smiled. "Right, but like I said I would back then, I've been there for you; always watched over you. But you don't need that anymore."

Now Prue's confusion turned to worry. "Who says I don't need that anymore?"

"You do. Deep down. You've found another love. Maybe you're not ready to admit it yet… but on some level, you've let go of me."

Prue could no longer keep the tears from streaming down her cheeks. "No I haven't! I'll never forget you! I've dated other guys since you and you didn't show up then!"

"This is different, Prue. The others were just for fun. But this one, he's different. You know it's true. Say it," he demanded.

"You're talking about Bane? I admit that when I'm speaking to him, I feel something…. And it's different, in a really good way. But what does it matter? There's no reason for you to be jealous of him. After all, he's in jail and will be for a long time. We can't be together!"

The vines from the walls were creeping around Prue's ankles. She looked down and gasped. Trying to kick them away, she rapidly pulled herself together and looked up at Andy.

"Who are you really?" she demanded.

Andy shrugged. "I'm just telling you what you already know, Prue."

"Well, one thing I know for sure," she seethed. "You're not him. He will never leave me! Andy would never walk away from me no matter who else is in my life. He will always have a special place in my heart. Besides, he'd want me to be happy, even if it's with another guy."

Andy looked saddened. "Please stop denying the truth, Prue; you're hurting me."

But Prue had had more than enough of this charade. "Get the hell out of my face!" She waved her hands at the vines around her and they were repelled from her, ripped apart. Once freed, Prue looked up and found that the apparition of her former lover had vanished. She sighed and looked up at the sky. "Sorry I doubted you for even a second. It won't happen again," and she continued walking.

Piper saw the vines slowly creeping up her body. "What's going on?" She waved her hands at the vines in an attempt to freeze them, but they wouldn't stop.

"I'm sorry, Piper," Williamson said emotionlessly, although he didn't sound sorry. "But you need to be stopped. You know you won't be able to handle the illness and the treatment so you'll inevitably use your magic to solve the problem… again and people will die."

"No, I won't!" she insisted. "I learned my lesson! I won't risk hurting people. We didn't realize how severe the consequences would be last time! I can face this!"

"You're selfish and weak. We both know that. And with the amount of magic you have, that makes you dangerous."

Piper glared at him, determined. "You're wrong! I risked my own life to fix what we did and I'd do it again. But I won't have to, because I will kick this cancer's a$$ and I won't need magic to do it!"

"Oh come on," Williamson smirked. "Wouldn't it be easier just to cast a little spell?"

"You don't know me. I'm a good witch and I'm stronger than you give me credit for. I'll fight; I'm not going anywhere!" Even as she finished shouting, Williamson faded away. She looked down and the vines retreated away from her. She smiled at her success. The wall before her crumbled to reveal Prue standing there.

"Piper!" Prue ran to her and hugged her. "It is you, right?"

"Yeah, it's me. I just got a visit from a very angry Doctor Williamson."

"It wasn't him. It's the labyrinth, it makes you see things… messes with your head."

"You, too?"

Prue nodded. "Andy"

Piper was shocked. "Oh, Prue, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. He had me for a moment, but I knew it wasn't him, that's how I got rid of it…and I guess it's how we found each other." Prue looked around, trying to find her other sister.

"Wait," and now Piper was worried. "If this place messes with your head…"

Prue nodded. "Phoebe could be in serious trouble."

Piper's cell phone rang, so she answered it. "Leo?"

Leo didn't waste time on formalities. "I have info on Bastien."

Right on cue, Bastien blinked in before them. "You may have broken free from the labyrinth's magic, but I won't let you help your sister do the same!"

Piper backed away. "Make it fast, honey."

Prue sent Bastien flying backwards as Leo filled Piper in on the phone.

"Okay," Leo spoke as fast as he could. "Bastien's mother was a witch called Pasiphaë back in Ancient Greek times…and you know how some of the gods were kind of really messed up back then? Well one of them wasn't happy that her husband didn't sacrifice a bull in his name, so the god made her fall in love with the bull…"

"Oh," Piper cringed. "You're not seriously going where I think you're going with this."

Leo let that go; just finishing with a sigh. "Bastien must have collected enough powers to conceal his true form."

Prue watched in horror as Bastien rose from the ground and his head began to warp into ghastly shapes. It eventually transformed into that of a bull. He held out his hand and a sword materialized.

Piper was wide-eyed. "Okay, thanks for the info sweetie. Looks like we have a minotaur to slay. I'll call you later," and she hung up.

Phoebe stood panicked as the vines reached her waist. "Stop! You're wrong!"

Nathaniel Pratt stood before Phoebe, shaking his head. "If you really believed that, Phoebe, you'd be free. You are evil."

"No. My sisters and I, we're good witches…"

"Your sisters aren't the problem; you are!" Pratt scoffed. "You know as well as I do that the darkness has always been there; you've just been in denial."

Phoebe cried in desperation as the vines began to wind around her stomach.

Bastien swung his sword at Prue, but she managed to dodge his attacks and scissor-kicked him in the stomach. After recovering from the brief pain, Bastien swung his sword at her several more times and this time managed to just scrape Prue's shoulder with the blade.

"Prue!" Piper cried.

Prue waved her arm and the sword was thrown from Bastien's grip onto the ground. "It's okay; he barely broke the skin. Just keep back."

Bastien went for his sword. Piper waved her hands at the weapon and the hilt glowed red with heat. Bastien wailed in pain as his hand was horrible burned by the sword and he threw it back down on the ground. In a rage, he charged at Prue with his horns. She used the wall beside her to get a run up and roundhouse kicked him around the skull. He doubled over in pain.

Prue used her magic to float the sword off the ground and above Bastien's torso. "Say hi to Zeus for me." She sent the sword flying down at him, but Bastien managed to blink out at the exact right moment.

"Damn it!" Prue scowled.

"Never mind," Piper told her, grabbing her sister's hand. "You did great, but we need to get to Phoebe."

The vines now at her chest, Phoebe was not only being taunted by Pratt, but also by Belthazor.

"You know you're more like me than your sisters," the red-skinned demon boomed. "You crave the power, the respect, the exhilaration of claiming your every desire."

"No, I…I believe in my…" Phoebe could no longer speak as the vines tightened around her throat. She fought for air and her eyes watered.

"The darkness grows inside of you every day, Phoebe," Pratt smirked.

"Why do you think you can't free yourself?" Belthazor growled. "Why do you think you couldn't connect with your sisters? You don't truly believe your light is greater than your darkness…and you're right not to believe."

Bastien blinked back to his lair just outside the labyrinth. He shook off his bruises, but not his rage. His head morphed back into that of a man.

"Damn that witch," he pouted. "I'll have her sister's head and then we'll see who's making smart remarks!"

"Yes, about that…" a female voice said behind him.

He turned around. Klea stood before him, her expression and sudden appearance intimidating Bastien more than he would've cared to admit. "Who are you?"

"I work for someone whose goals go beyond your quest for freedom," Klea informed him in a very business-like tone.

"Well, too bad," Bastien spat. "The witch is mine."

Klea produced an energy ball and aimed it right into Bastien's chest. He wailed for a moment as the electricity ran through his body, before exploding in a shower of fire and dust. She walked through some of the dust to find his altar. She waved her hand over the items and the water, speaking in a dead language as she did.

Phoebe collapsed to the ground as the vines around her suddenly disintegrated. She panted on the ground as her sisters hurried up behind her.

"Phoebe?" they called.

Prue helped her baby sister up. "Are you okay?"

Phoebe struggled to speak. "No…but I just want to go home."

"Okay," and Prue rubbed her sister's shoulder comfortingly.

"Um, guys?" Piper alerted them, looking around. The vines entwining the walls began to turn brown and rot to dust, while the walls themselves began to crack.

"Looks like whatever magic this place had is fading somehow" Prue noted.

"Does that mean Bastien has been vanquished?" Phoebe wondered.

Prue shrugged. "Well if it does, we didn't do it."

Piper shrugged. "Unless you hurt him before he escaped more than you realized.

"Hm, either way, I think our magic should be able to get us out of here now" Prue wagered. "Let's get out of this place."

Leo was waiting outside the hospital. He ran towards Piper and hugged her.

"Hey, oh, careful, sweetie." Piper groaned.

Leo backed away and calmed himself "Oh, sorry. I'm just so glad you're okay…all of you."

Prue winked at her brother-in-law. "Thanks, Leo."

"Sorry if I stressed you out today," Piper apologized. "As if this wasn't enough already."

Leo shook his head. "Hey, for better or for worst; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health."

Piper teared up a little. "Right. Just didn't realize how tough that sickness part would turn out."

"I'm here," Leo reminded her unwaveringly.

Piper could only nod as she reached up to wipe the tear from her eye. How could she have been lucky enough to marry a real live angel?

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay?" Prue asked.

"No, you two have your own stuff to contend with," Piper insisted. "I'll be fine, and I'm not alone. I'll be home before you know it."

Prue and Phoebe embraced their sister.

The Source walked down Prescott Street to Halliwell Manor. Sinead was nearby and spotted him. She walked purposefully towards him.

"Hey, you live with the Halliwells don't you?" To The Source, Sinead looked a little disheveled and her eyes seemed a little wider than usual.

"I do," he responded.

"You related to them?" she asked.

"No."

"Then maybe," she begged frantically, "you'd be more willing to explain to me why the laws of the world and nature don't seem to apply to them like everyone else!"

"I…"

"Why is it okay that my brother is dead and they get to carry on with their lives?" and she teared up. "Why don't I get answers?"

"I'm not sure I can give you what you want" The Source replied.

Sinead gave a haunted laugh. "All I want is peace for my family; justice." She winced as the burn on her fingertip throbbed.

The Source noticed and instantly knew where she'd received the injury.

"Screw you, screw all of you in that damn house!" Sinead screamed as she stormed off.

The Source allowed her to walk away enough not to hear him. His eyes blackened. "Klea," he called out, "We have a loose end to tie up. The doctor's sister. If she's so desperate to know what happened to her brother, I'm sure we can make things clearer for her," and his eyes returned to normal.

The Source walked into the Manor and saw Prue and Phoebe standing there, waiting.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"I want you out, Cole," Phoebe demanded, tears in her eyes. "Now!"

"Phoebe? I…"

"I know what you did. I know The Source got to you down there. I wanted so much to believe in you…"

"Phoebe, you can believe in me-"

"Stop lying!" she roared. A tear rolled down her face. "We're done."

"Phoebe, don't do this."

Prue stepped in. "If you hadn't immunized yourself from the potion you'd be a pile of ash right now."

"But I did, didn't I?" he hissed.

Prue glared at him. "Don't get comfortable."

Completely devastated, Phoebe ran upstairs.

"Phoebe…" The Source was about to follow, but Prue stood in his way.

"My sister asked you to leave. I'm not asking!"

The Source smirked. "Oooh, big sis with her cape blowing in the breeze. You think you've won? You're not even close."

Prue fixed her gaze on him and energy started to build up around her. Ornaments began to shake, her hair began to blow and she could feel the power in her hands. The front door opened by itself.

"Never underestimate my desire to protect my sisters," she warned. "Now out!"

Prue pointed to the doorway and The Source was swept up in a blur like a strong gust of wind moving a leaf. He was unharmed, but he was standing on the porch. He attempted to walk back over the threshold, but was blocked by an invisible wall. He bashed his fist against the invisible boundary.

The sound made Prue smile, pleased that her power had successfully done as she intended.

The Source looked her in the eye. "This won't keep me out for long."

Prue stood just as close as she could without crossing the line. "Don't worry. We'll be ready," and Prue waved her hand and the door slammed shut.

-

Next time on **"Charmed"** \- The battle lines are drawn. 


	8. Trigger Warning

**Charmed  
Season 4, Episode 8  
"Trigger Warning"  
By P3Nathan**

Prue stood in the middle of the cemetery. She held an umbrella as rain bounced on the grass. Her dark hair tied back in a bun, she wiped tears from her eyes with her black leather glove, which matched the rest of her attire. In her other hand, she held a rose and slowly walked towards a coffin. As she drew closer, she struggled to keep herself together. The tears freed themselves from her eyes, but otherwise she managed to sustain her composure. When she reached the coffin, she fell to her knees next to it.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her breath trembling from the grief.

She placed the rose on top of the smooth brown wood. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment to say goodbye to yet another person she loved. Half-expecting to open her eyes and realize it was all a dream, she sighed as she blew one last kiss to the deceased. She slowly rose and turned around and began to make her way back, wanting to continue grieving in the warmth of her home.

 **(Two weeks earlier)**

The Art Center bustled with people. Holding a glass of champagne, Prue smiled as people admired and talked about her work.

Darryl walked up to her and kissed her cheek. "Hey, congratulations."

"Thank you," and Prue Halliwell actually giggled nervously. "It's all a bit surreal."

Darryl grinned. "Oh, you saw the sculpture section, too, huh?" he joked.

Prue smiled as Piper, Phoebe, Leo and Victor joined them.

"Prue, I am so proud of you," and hugging her big sister, Piper absolutely glowed.

"We all are," Victor smiled. He held up his glass. "To Prue."

"To Prue!" everyone repeated, clinking their glasses of champagne.

Prue noticed Piper's glass. "Hey, wait a minute, missy…"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Relax. It's just juice. Come on, give me some credit."

"If you feel like you've had enough, just go straight home." Prue glanced at Phoebe. "That goes for both of you."

Phoebe forced a smile. "I'm fine - I want to be here for you. And devour the snack table, but mostly be here for you."

Prue nodded. "Okay, thank you."

Victor put his arm around Phoebe.

"Oh, no." Phoebe protested. "Thank you, I love you, but if you're nice to me I'll start crying."

Victor understand, so he patted her on the back instead. Phoebe rested her head on his arm for a moment short enough to keep herself from becoming too emotional.

"So how are people responding?" Leo wanted to know.

Prue grinned. "I've had a lot of positive comments and I've actually already sold two pieces."

"You're kidding!" Phoebe cheered. "That's fantastic."

"Well," Darryl commented, "after the last few months it's about time you guys had some good fortune."

Klea stood before The Source in the mausoleum.

"You did well getting the warlock out of the way." he praised.

"Thank you, my liege. I wish I could have done more to temper the witches' suspicions."

"No need to worry. I believe I did enough during my time there. Besides, they think I'm Belthazor… I can use that to our advantage."

Klea nodded. "Shax is ready and awaiting your command."

"Good. Let the meddlesome mortal see for herself what happened to her brother. Oh, and tell Shax to keep the attack inside this time!"

Phoebe lay on her bed, sobbing into her pillow.

Prue quietly walked into the room and sat beside her. "Do you need anything? I can make you some tea."

"No, I'll be fine," Phoebe whimpered. "I'm okay during the day. It's just going to bed when my mind is flooded with it… with him."

Prue put her hand on Phoebe's shoulder.

Piper walked into the room. "Hey, everything alright?"

Phoebe turned to her. "I'm sorry, Piper."

Piper sat beside her sisters. "For what, sweetie?"

"You're ill and you need to feel at peace in your own home more than ever," Phoebe despaired. "And I brought him back into our lives, into our house."

"Hey, you don't need to apologize to me," Piper smiled. "Don't forget - I was engaged to our very first vanquish."

"And this house is a lot of great things," Prue added, "but peaceful hasn't usually been one of them."

Phoebe laughed a little before it turned into sobs again. Prue and Piper laid on either side of her and held their baby sister until she finally fell asleep.

Sinead paced around her bedroom, muttering to herself. Her walls were covered with pieces of paper with information about the Halliwells that she had printed.

"I can't let them get away with it," she began to ramble. "What if somebody else dies, can you live with that? Of course you can't. You're on your own…"

She winced as her finger began to throb again. She looked at the burn on the tip, which didn't seem to be healing at all - if anything it looked angrier.

She took a deep breath. "That's it. I'm getting answers."

She circled the room, skimming the bits of paper until one caught her eye. She nodded to herself and ripped it off the wall. She then ran over to her dresser and opened a drawer. From it, she retrieved a shotgun.

"I will get justice for him," she declared, her eyes widening with manic expectation. This ends today!"

 _(Opening credits)_

Phoebe arrived at San Francisco Memorial, ready for her volunteer shift. She had been looking forward to it all night, knowing that it was the best bet to take her mind off of recent drama.

She did however make sure to carry a few vials of stun potion in her uniform pockets, since Prue's magic wouldn't extend to the hospital. Phoebe figured it probably wouldn't be long before the barrier around the house faltered - as powerful a witch as her big sister was, it was highly unlikely that she'd be able to bar a demon as powerful as Cole from their lives for too long.

She walked down the corridor, ready to make a difference in the world and distract herself from her troubled mind, when a nurse came up to her. Phoebe had become friendly with the shy, mousy nurse. It was clear that Sophie was now very upset.

"Morning, Phoebe."

"Morning, Sophie - everything okay?"

Sophie looked at the floor, working up the nerve to speak. "You've been spending quite a bit of time with Jensen right?"

Phoebe's heart suddenly sank - she didn't need a premonition to know what was coming. "Yeah, I have."

Sophie sighed. "I'm afraid he's taken a turn for the worse. I think he might be close."

Phoebe's eyes widened in shocked horror. "You mean close to…"

Sophie nodded. "His father is in there with him. We just need to make him as comfortable as possible. I'm really sorry, Phoebe. This part of the job never really gets easier… not that it ever should."

Phoebe nodded, her eyes welling up. "Thank you for letting me know."

Sophie patted her on the shoulder and continued on down the corridor while Phoebe hurried straight to Jensen's room. He was lying in bed, unconscious, hooked up to numerous tubes and wearing an oxygen mask.

Karl sat close beside his son, his head in his hands.

Phoebe cleared her throat in an attempt to make her presence known.

Karl looked up and managed a small smile. "Oh, Phoebe. I'm so glad you're here." He stood up and hugged her. "They said you'd be in today."

"Karl, I'm so sorry" she almost whispered.

Karl looked at his little boy. "We knew it was coming, but there's no preparing for it, is there? Not really." His voice quivered as he listened to his son's rattling breathing. "When I lost my wife, I became a widower… I'm not sure there's a word for what I'll be without him. Why is that?"

Phoebe squeezed the salty sting from her eyes. "Maybe it's because it's beyond description, beyond labels."

Karl nodded, then took hold of his son's hand. "I guess the word is alone."

Phoebe could practically feel the sorrow vibrating off of Karl and through the room - not through any psychic power, simply by their human connection. It gave the room a heaviness that was almost unbearable. "Is there anything I can do?" she choked. "Anything I can get for you?"

"I wouldn't mind a café latte, if that's alright?"

Phoebe smiled through the pain. "No problem, I'll be right back."

As soon as she left the room, Phoebe ran to the bathroom as quickly as she could. Thankfully, it was empty. She locked herself in a stall and cried her heart out for the little boy, who in that short time she'd grown to love as if he was her own son.

Victor Bennett beamed with pride as he hung up a framed picture on his apartment wall. It was a beautiful photo of children playing at Golden Gate Park - his daughter had managed to capture their freedom and joy in that moment absolutely perfectly. He took a sip of his coffee and smiled, happy that he could support Prue's dream and that she was having so much success.

His happy thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. Victor put down his mug and answered it. Standing at the other side was Sinead Griffiths.

"Hello," Victor greeted. "And who are you?"

Rather than answering, she asked a question of her own. "Are you Victor Bennett?"

"I am - can I help you with something?"

"Yes, you can," and Sinead took the gun out of her pocket, keeping it close enough to her side so that nobody walking by would be able to see it.

Victor froze at the sight of the weapon.

"You can let me in," Sinead told him. "And tell me all about your daughters."

Phoebe returned to Halliwell Manor and went straight to the couch in the sitting room, her eyes sore and bloodshot, her legs pulled up close to her chest as if she could give herself a hug. Even as she rocked herself. Even as she sat down, Piper came in, her eyes full of concern.

"Phoebe? What happened? Did you see Cole?" and Piper hurried over to sit next to her sister.

Phoebe shook her head. "No, and right now that doesn't seem to matter very much."

"What do you mean," asked her older sister, even more concerned now.

"It doesn't look like Jensen has long left."

"Oh, no. Oh, Phoebe, I'm so sorry," and Piper reached out to hold. "This might be a stupid question, but how's Karl?"

Phoebe's lip quivered so much, she couldn't even get out an answer.

"Oh, sweetie," and Piper hugged her baby sister. "I'm sorry."

Just then Prue walked in and saw her younger sisters holding each other. "Is Cole back?"

Piper shook her head. "Jensen."

Prue nodded, quickly working the rest out for herself. She quickly moved to stand behind her two sisters and stroke her little sister's hair.

Victor's hands were strapped with duct tape to the arms of his favorite chair. He tried to keep his cool, having noticed that Sinead was more than a little erratic. The fear in the pit of his stomach was more uncomfortable than the binds, even if they were cutting off his circulation. Sinead made sure she kept waving the gun around him, even after she'd tied him down.

"How did you find out my name?" he asked.

"I've been researching your girls. Found their mother's obituary; your name was mentioned. Was she your wife?"

Victor sighed. "Yes." He figured it was best to leave things simple and not make her privy to the drama of his divorce.

"Sounded quite unusual, the way she died. Sucks, doesn't it?" she ranted. "As if the pain isn't bad enough, the reasons for it are kept hidden from you."

Victor didn't answer.

"Ah, I thought as much. You know how she died."

Victor looked down, still silent.

"The mystery was uncovered for you because you're a part of their family, right? That's how it works! You get answers; you get reasons." She held the gun to his head. "So I'm thinking you probably have a good idea what happened to my brother."

Outside, a strong gust of wind began to blow around the area as The Source's assassin, having sniffed Sinead out, approached Victor's apartment building. The wind spun into a great tornado that flashed like a self-contained storm.

Phoebe was in the attic, having found the Awakening Spell in The Book of Shadows.

Prue joined her and saw what she was reading. "Phoebe," she cautioned. "Remember what happened the last time we cast this."

"I know. I wasn't going to, I swear. I just wondered if there was anything that could make this easier for them." She sighed. "But I've been looking through The Book and this is as close as I could."

"Some things are out of our power. As much as it sucks, we've learned over the years that we have to respect that, for the greater good."

Phoebe scoffed.

Prue was concerned.

Phoebe shook her head. "Sorry, yeah, you're right. It's just hard having so much power and yet feeling so powerless." Looking down, she continued flipping through The Book.

Suddenly, her neck snapped back as a premonition took over her mind. She saw her father taped to a chair, Sinead pointing a gun at him. Suddenly the window smashed violently behind her, knocking Sinead to the floor as a tornado tore through Victor's apartment. The tornado transformed into a grey-skinned demon. Sinead tried to get up before the horror took over, but Shax threw a ball of powerful blue energy towards her.

Phoebe gasped as she snapped out of the vision. Looking down, she saw that her hand was on The Book of Shadows' entry for Shax, the demon who had killed Sinead's brother and almost killed Phoebe's sisters. "Oh my God!"

"What?"

"Sinead has Dad," Phoebe shouted, "and Shax is after her!"

Prue hurried out the door and down the steps. Knocking lightly on Piper's bedroom door, Prue let herself in. Seeing Piper lying in bed, Prue hated bothering her, but knew she had. ."Shax is back; he's after Sinead…who, by the way, has Dad. We're going to need The Power of Three. Are you up to it?"

Piper took a moment to process the information. "Um, of course," and although she managed to stand up, she suddenly she didn't look so sure.

"You okay?" Prue asked anxiously. "Need some meds first?"

"No, I'm okay. It's just…from what Phoebe and Leo told us, this demon caused us a hell of a lot of grief before time was reset…it's a little daunting facing it again."

Prue's eyes hardened with determination. "From what Phoebe and Leo told us, we were reckless, trying to do everything ourselves; not sticking together. This time we trust in The Power of Three and we get this son of a b!tch. For good this time."

Piper nodded. "Let's go."

Victor's nerves were increasing, as was Sinead's erratic behaviour.

"Look," he tried to explain, "I know you have no reason to trust me… but my girls, they protect the innocent; they're good people."

"So was my brother!" Sinead screamed.

"And so was my wife!" Victor shouted back. He calmed his voice immediately, momentarily having forgotten he was being held at gunpoint. "Don't you see? She died trying to save school children. Your brother had more in common with my daughters than you think."

"You didn't know him," she seethed. "So don't talk about him!"

"You're right," Victor sighed. "I didn't, but from what my girls told me, he sounds like he was a good man. Someone who dedicated his life to helping others. You must've been so proud of him."

Sinead started to cry. "I was... I am."

"Well that's how I feel about my daughters," and he could see that Sinead was calming down a little. "I don't know if you know it, but Prue and Piper almost died trying to save your brother from the monster who killed him. Your brother was their innocent, someone they were trying to save."

Sinead's wet eyes widened at this information, even as she lowered the gun, just a little.

"I've learned so much from them," and Victor managed a smile. "I don't know if you know but I left them when they were still so young. Prue helped raise her sisters once I left - she taught me what true strength is; she amazes me. Piper… Piper has so much heart - her unconditional love is astounding. And Phoebe." Victor had to laugh a little. "My baby never gave up on me. She would've had every right to, but she didn't. They're so much better than even they realize. They complement each other so well."

Sinead had lowered the gun as she sat down, listening.

Victor teared up a little and looked Sinead in the eyes. "It seems like your brother was your hero; well, my girls are mine." and Sinead nodded, even as the tears rolled down her own face.

Just as things had calmed, the window behind Sinead smashed, scattering broken glass around the room as Sinead fell to the floor, dropping her gun. A tornado swept through the room. Victor squeezed his eyes shut, afraid that the wind might blow some of the glass shards into his face even as Sinead screamed.

The tornado stopped directly in front of Sinead and Victor, and formed into Shax. The demon groaned menacingly as he grinned at the pair, his grey hair blowing in the gust.

Even as the sisters arrived at Victor's door, they could hear the noise coming from inside. Phoebe attempted to open the door, but it was locked.

"Okay, stand back," and Prue raised her hand.

Sinead looked in horror at the being before her. She was about to try and make a break for it when the door swung open and everything in the room suddenly froze.

The sisters walked in and were relieved to find that they had arrived just in time. They looked at Shax with utter contempt in their eyes.

"I don't think my freeze is going to last long," Piper admitted "I'm not feeling my strongest."

"Don't worry," Prue replied, even as the demon began to move. "Even when one of us is weak, the three of us can still be strong," and she took her sisters' hands.

"Evil wind that blows - that which forms below…"

Shax broke out of the freeze. Seeing the sisters, he waved his arm, trying to throw them, but his power just crackled through his arm and his body began to shimmer.

Even as the Charmed Ones continued to chant the spell, Prue squinted her eyes and threw some glass shards into Shax's face, just to make extra sure that he wasn't getting away or attacking anyone else.

"…no longer may you dwell - death takes you with this spell!"

The rest of the room unfroze as Shax glowed with an intense light as he roared in pain. A gale blew around the apartment, knocking various things over and smashing ornaments. Shax burst into a shower of sparks and smoke that lit up the whole room.

The sisters stood silently as Sinead pulled herself up off the floor, completely horrified.

"Dad?" Piper had to ask. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, sweetie," a breathless Victor nodded. "Don't worry about me." He craned his head just enough to see that the photo he hung up on the wall had managed to survive Shax's attacks. He gave a relieved sigh.

"W…was that the thing that got my brother?" Sinead trembled.

"Yeah, it was," Prue told her. "And this time he's not ever coming back."

Looking like he was about to have a meltdown, Sinead ran out of the apartment.

"You go get her," Phoebe shouted. "I'll take care of Dad."

Not even taking the time to reply, Prue ran out after Sinead while Piper picked up the gun she'd noticed earlier and then ran after both of them.

Phoebe retrieved a pair of scissors from a drawer and used it to cut through the duct tape still restraining her father. "Are you sure you're okay? You can come and stay with us for a while if you're feeling shaky."

Victor smiled. "I'll be fine, honey. Really." He kissed his daughter and hugged her.

Sinead ran down the long hallway.

"Sinead," Prue called out. "Wait!"

Piper had fallen behind, since she was not as fast as she would normally be, she had to settle for walking. It did however give her the chance to examine the gun. She was surprised to discover that there were no bullets.

Sinead finally stopped. "Please," she begged. "Leave me alone!"

"Piper, can you freeze everything but Sinead?" Prue asked. "We can't make the same mistake twice."

"I can try," and Piper flicked her hands, happy to see the few other people in the hallway who were staring at them were now frozen.

Prue smiled her pride at Piper before turning to Sinead. "I'm sorry about your brother. I really am, but this was beyond crazy. You took a man hostage!"

Piper held up the gun. "There aren't any bullets in this."

Prue sighed. "You never intended to kill anyone?"

"Of course not. That would've made me as evil as the thing who killed my brother. I just wanted to scare your father into giving me some information. But then I just end up horrified myself! That thing…whatever it was… oh, my poor brother! He must have been absolutely terrified when it killed him."

"We wish we could've saved him," Piper told her, as she flicked her hands again, refreezing the innocent spectators. "We really do."

"I don't know how to deal with any of this…" and Sinead grasped her finger.

"What's wrong?" Prue asked.

"I hurt my finger touching some black stuff in your kitchen"

"You broke into our house?" Prue chastised. She rolled her eyes and looked at the wound.

"It won't heal," Sinead told her. "It just gets worse."

Victor stood and stretched his aching limbs.

"I'll get you a drink," Phoebe offered. "Tea, coffee?"

Victor shook his head. "There's a bottle of whiskey in the top shelf of the cupboard."

Phoebe had to laugh. "Alright then."

She walked into the kitchen and found the bottle, speaking to her father from there. "I'll keep my cell phone nearby, so if you need to talk or want someone to come over, I can. I know how horrendous it can be, feeling scared and alone." She poured a small glass. "Just remember that we're here for each other now, so we can make the most of that." She picked up the glass. "Dad, did you hear me?"

She walked into the other room and dropped the glass on the floor, shattering the glass and leaving a puddle of whiskey on the carpet. She stood still in her tracks, eyes widened.

Victor also stood still in his tracks, his nerves shaking while The Source of All Evil stood glaring at him. Of course, as far as Phoebe was concerned, it was Cole who was terrifying her father – a Cole who was evil once again and recently jilted.

"Cole," she panicked. "What are you doing here?"

"Showing you why I gave up on being good," he smirked, "And so you know what being Good will get you."

The Source forced his hand into Victor's chest. Victor wailed in pain as the demon clasped his heart.

"Cole! No!" Phoebe screamed, her own heart racing violently. "Not Dad! Please, no!"

The Source paused to look at her as Victor whimpered. "This is what you've done to your family, Phoebe, not me. You had the opportunity to vanquish me, but you let me go. It's all your fault."

"I wanted to believe in you," she cried. "Just stop, please, stop now and Leo can heal him. I promise I'll never stop listening to you, believing in you; loving you."

"Remember how Beauty thought she could change the Beast?" he spat. "You were a naïve fantasist. Idiot girl."

Tears rolled down Phoebe's face.

"It's too late for tears; the damage is done. And now, his blood is on your hands." With one violent pull The Source ripped Victor's heart clean through his chest. Victor fell lifelessly to the floor.

Phoebe's jaw dropped. The room began to spin as the nightmare that was reality washed over her.  
The Source wiped the blood from his hand on his jacket. "When will you stop letting yourself be taken advantage of?" he laughed. "How can someone so powerful, be so pathetic?"

Hyperventilating, Phoebe fell to her knees, looking only at her father's body so she missed Cole flaming out as opposed to his usual shimmering. She wasn't crying anymore - she was filled with too many emotions, anger and humiliation battling for the two strongest. Falling to her hands and knees, she crawled towards her father.

She looked into his cold, dead eyes.

Looking into them, images flashed through her mind, of herself in the underworld, of Jensen dying in his hospital bed, of Nathaniel Pratt smirking as vines began to choke the life from her, and finally of Cole laughing at her foolishness. It all screamed through Phoebe's head at once with unbearable volume.

Then, suddenly, everything in Phoebe's mind went dead silent. She looked up at the ceiling and her blood ran hotter than ever before. She let out a scream of unadulterated rage that literally caused the apartment to tremble.

It was uncontrollable, undeniable.

The horror, the madness, the grief, and the fury took hold of her through and through.

She looked down at her arms and saw the blue veins in her wrists darkening, black as coal, not knowing that her eyes were doing the same.

She let out another wail, one more for the loss of her father, also grieving for her mother and Grams. She dabbed her nose to see that it was bleeding black liquid. She looked down and found herself sitting in a puddle of jet-black darkness.

Her hands reached down into the black as she gritted her teeth. She took her hands out of the darkness and ran her fingers through her hair so violently that she very nearly pulled her blonde locks out of their roots.

Dirty and distraught, she quieted as she looked at her father one more time. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

Prue and Piper looked at Sinead's burn.

"This could be affecting her," Prue pointed out. "Like it's been affecting Phoebe."

"Leo might be able to heal the wound," Piper suggested, before letting out a defeated sigh. "But I don't know if that'll get rid of the influence."

Suddenly the sisters heard a scream coming from behind them.

"Phoebe!" cried Piper, turning to run back. "Dad!"

Sinead took the opportunity to run away down the hallway and out into the street. Piper raised her arms about to freeze but Prue stopped her. "Forget it. We can't do anything out in the open and we have to make sure Phoebe and Dad are okay."

Piper nodded and they hurried back to their dad's place. The place was a mess from Shax's attack and Victor was lying on the floor. "Dad?" Prue gasped.

That's when they noticed the blood on his shirt and ran to him, dropping to their knees next to him. Piper felt for a pulse. She covered her mouth in shock. "Prue… he's..." but she couldn't say the word.

"Leo!" Prue shouted, but Piper put her hand on Prue's arm, shaking her head. "Leo can't heal the…" and she choked on her own words as she cried into her father's hand.

Prue stroked his silver hair. "No, no, no." The pain hurt her chest and stomach. "We only just reconnected after all this time, I can't lose you now."

Piper used her free hand to grab hold of Prue's as they sobbed over their father.

Suddenly Prue realized that someone was missing. "Phoebe? Phoebe, are you here?"

"Where could she have gone?" Piper asked, now concerned about her baby sister, unable to lose her so soon after just losing her father.

Prue's bereft breathing made it hard to speak. "I don't know," she choked out. "We'll find her."

"Should we call Darryl?"

Prue nodded. "Piper. Our parents are gone…" she struggled to spit out the words. "We're adult orphans."

Piper tightened her grip on Prue's hand. "We have each other. We've survived death together before - we'll do it again."

The two sisters remained on the floor for a while. They sat at either side of Victor and held him in their arms. Piper was the one who closed her father's eyes "We love you, Dad. We love you." Her voice quieted to a whisper. "We will always love you."

It was the middle of the night. San Francisco Memorial Hospital was dark with just a few lights on for the night staff. In his private room, Jensen was still unconscious and wheezing in his bed. Karl sat on the visitor's chair, slumped over the side of the mattress, sleeping.

Jensen's nightlight began to flicker. The windows of the room began to shake until cracks formed in the glass.

The sound woke up Karl. He jumped as he saw something in the shadows. Who's there?" he whispered.

The silhouette revealed herself. "Don't worry," Phoebe told him.

"Oh…" Karl calmed as he saw who it was, but not as much as usual. There was something in Phoebe's voice that sounded…different. "Phoebe? Are you okay?"

As Phoebe stepped into the light, Karl saw that bits of Phoebe's hair were soaked in a dark substance. She'd tied it up, but that just made it look worse. Her face was pale, while her eyes were swollen and red. Her clothes were covered in bloodstains. The veins down her arms and up her neck were unnaturally dark.

To put it mildly, she looked terrible, and the sight terrified Karl.

"No," she replied, her voice dead and emotionless. "I'm not okay. But, I'm here to tell you that everything will be okay."

She moved to Jensen's bedside and placed her palm on his forehead. "Don't worry," she whispered to the little boy.

Karl had never felt uneasy when Phoebe was near her son before, but tonight was different. "Phoebe, what happened, what are you doing here?"

"I think I can fix this."

"What do you mean?"

"I can take his sickness away." Phoebe smiled as she stroked Karl's head. "Save him."

Karl fought his instincts, which were telling him to push her away from his boy. "Magic like that comes at a huge price. If I know that, you must know it too."

Phoebe's smile vanished. "A price?" She glared into Karl's eyes. "You think I'm afraid of the price? You think playing by the rules has done either of us any good?" she fumed. "Look at where we are!"

She roared out the last sentence and Karl nearly jumped out of his seat

She noticed the fear in his eyes. She exhaled. "Sorry."

"Phoebe, you know I want nothing more than to give him a long and healthy life, but…"

"Then release yourself from the stranglehold of the rules They set. Claim what you deserve." Her blood-shot eyes watered as she looked at Jensen's sleeping innocent face. "Just say yes…" She stroked Jensen's cheek with her fingertips, "…and he will live."

Phoebe appeared in the blink of an eye in Halliwell Manor's attic and quickly crossed to The Book of Shadows. As she reached for it, it glowed and threw itself to the floor. She looked at her arms. "I know," she told The Book. "Disgusting, isn't it?"

She heard whispers in her head telling her what she needed to do. She took a shard of glass from her pocket that she had taken from the floor of Victor's apartment. She used it to cut into her palm. Black blood streamed out, running across the floor like a tiny river. The liquid formed a circle around The Book. Phoebe dropped to her knees in the circle and put her palm over The Book's cover. The blood seeped into The Book's binding until suddenly one of the arcs of the triquetra trembled with a crimson glow until it gave in to Phoebe's desire and jumped into her arms. She gave a sigh of relief and vanished with the tome.

Hours later, Sophie the nurse came in to check Jensen's IV drip, afraid that she might find Jensen dead. She nearly fell over when she saw Jensen sitting up in bed looking better than ever. Jensen smiled at her. "Hi, Nurse Sophie!"

Sophie laughed, a laugh so happy that it sounded almost hysterical. "You look fantastic! How on earth did this happen?"

Karl wiped tears from his eyes, something he'd clearly been doing for a while, and grinned. "I have no idea, but I'm not complaining."

"I'm not really supposed to do this, but…" and Sophie hugged Jensen who giggled.

Since Sophie's eyes weren't on Karl anymore, he looked down at the ground. His smile faded. He was undeniable elated… but shame - and especially fear of what was to come - were creeping in.

The Source smiled as he gazed at Phoebe's unstable appearance in an enchanted mirror he'd hung in the mausoleum.

"He shall bring forth tragedy and a great darkness shall befall the earth." He stroked Phoebe's reflection in the glass. "The warriors of light will be torn apart. The time of the mortals will draw to a close and the demons shall claim the world."

He smiled. "So be it."

In the attic. Prue held a crystal on a string over a map of San Francisco, scrying for Phoebe. Her arm was aching, but not as much as her eyes.

Piper walked in, holding framed photos of their dad. "I found some really nice ones of him. Considering how long we were apart, we have more pictures of him than I realized."

"Well, for a while I guess we just didn't want to look at them," Prue sighed as she dropped the crystal.

"No luck?"  
"Nothing," Prue despaired. "I'm really getting worried. What if Cole took The Book? If any demon could figure out how to touch it, my money would be on him."

"I still think Phoebe must have it. She's still not answering her phone. I'd suggest asking Darryl but…"

Prue nodded. "He's done enough for us with the bod… with Dad."

Just then Leo orbed in.

"Please tell us something good," Piper begged her husband.

"Well they can't find Phoebe," he began. "They're being blocked. However they think they know what The Source's plan is."

Before he could start explaining, Piper's phone rang.

"Phoebe!" she jumped, recognizing the ringtone. "Hello? Phoebe, are you okay? Where are you?"

"I have The Book," Phoebe announced, ignoring Piper's question. "I came to see Dad. Where is he?"

"He's with Darryl for the time being. Phoebe, did you see what happened?" Piper asked as she put her cell phone on speaker.

"Cole killed Dad," and she burst into hysterical laughter.

Piper felt sick. "How can you be laughing?"

Prue and Leo were becoming increasingly scared for Phoebe's well-being.

Phoebe's laughter quickly morphed into strangled tears. "Laugh or cry, right?" She wiped her face and exhaled. "Don't worry, Piper; I'm going to fix it."

"Phoebe, you have to slow down," Leo warned. "We can sit and talk about this. The Elders think they know what's happening."

"Oh, no" she replied, quickly shooting down Leo's suggestion. "I'm doing this my way."

"Phoebe, please come home," Prue pleaded. "We can talk about this, please."

"Don't worry, Prue, you'll get The Book back soon." Her voice became weepy. "Whatever happens, never doubt that I love you all so much." Suddenly her voice became very cold. "But that's why it'll be best if you stay out of my way," and Phoebe disconnected the line.

Prue, Piper and Leo were left in shocked silence.

In Victor's apartment, Phoebe beheld the wreckage that remained of her father's home. "Don't worry, Dad, I'll make this right."

"Thank you, sweetheart, I know you will." Victor's voice spoke from behind her. She whirled to see his ghost. The ghost smiled. "You know what you have to do."

Phoebe nodded and held out her hand over the carpet where Victor's body once lay. Her dried-up wound let out a tendril of dark energy that funneled towards the floor. A space in the floor opened into a circular portal of deep-red crackling energy.

"I believe in you, sweetie," the ghost whispered. "Even if nobody else does."

She looked at the swirling vortex.

"Don't be afraid, sweetie."

Phoebe glared angrily at the crackling red. "I'm not afraid anymore. I will never be afraid again."

Determination crossing her haunted face, Phoebe jumped into the portal. As soon as her body passed through, it disappeared.

The room was empty and quiet.

Except for The Source's laugh.

 **Next time-** Looking back at the Patty Halliwell's past, The Source's plan and his history with the Halliwells is revealed. 


	9. Did You Hear What Happened to Phoebe?

**Charmed  
Season 4, Episode 9  
Did You Hear What Happened to Phoebe Halliwell?  
By P3Nathan**

In the dark, red-tinted caves of The Underworld, a swirling vortex appeared in mid-air. From the crackling portal, Phoebe floated down to the ground, her feet gently touching the warm dirt ground. She glared at the towering metal doorway before her and started making her first attempt at opening it, when three demon guards shimmered in.

Reminded of the beings that had kept her in her cell, Phoebe fixed her crimson glare on them.

One of the demons threw an energy ball her way, but she dodged it with little to no effort. She grabbed him by the neck and levitated with him. The other demons nervously watched as she threw him into a nearby fire pit.

She swooped down, kicking the second demon to the floor in the process. Panicked, the third demon pulled out a dagger and swiped violently. She defended herself against most of his attacks, but eventually the blade sliced into her cheek. Black bile dripped down from her wound, the demon shocked by the liquid steaming on the ground.

She smirked, then raised her hand and the blood hardened into a large black spike shooting up from the ground, impaling both demons before they had a chance to move, their bodies vanishing in a veil of fire and ash.

She now waved her arms at the door as whisperings and screams echoed through her mind. The door surrendered to her, slowly creaking open. She stepped inside to be greeted by a little girl whose eyes shone red. "I was expecting you."

"You know what I'm after?"

The girl nodded. "I do."

"Then tell me where I need to go."

Prue and Piper sat with a young man in a black suit. Piper flipped through various leaflets he had handed her earlier while Prue attempted to listen to what he was saying.

"There are a few different options in terms of the service," the man explained, all business and very little empathy. "It depends how much you want it to be personal to your father and how religious you want it to be. That'll also impact on the service cards, of course…"

There was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Piper instantly jumped up, clearly eager for a break.

At the door she found a sympathetic Darryl. "Hey, Piper."

She hugged him. "Thanks for coming."

Prue and the other gentleman joined them at the door, Prue not as subtle about guiding him towards the exit as she might have liked to be. "Okay," she assured him. "So we'll take some time to think all of this over and call you."

"Right, well any concerns, just let me know."

Prue managed both a smile and a nod, then a sigh of relief after he left the Manor.

"Funeral plans?" Darryl asked.

"Yep," Prue sighed.

Piper also sighed. "Grams had a whole funeral plan figured out; unfortunately Dad didn't."

"Well, we weren't in his lives for a while," Prue fumed, "so I guess he figured that as long as that was the case, he wouldn't have to plan for his untimely death."

"Prue…" and Piper put her arm around her big sister.

"Sorry, I'm just… I thought I'd dealt with my whole 'angry at death' thing, but I'm not angry for me this time; I'm angry for him."

"Well maybe we should put our anger where it belongs," Piper suggested. "Work to get Phoebe back and avenge him with the Power of Three."

"Will Phoebe be willing to vanquish Cole?" Darryl asked nervously.

Again Prue sighed, her eyes turning sad as she worried about her baby sister. "We don't even know what state she's in - she might not be fit to be vanquishing anybody. We just want her home."

"Even with Phoebe and the Book, we don't know how to vanquish him," Piper reminded them. "He made himself immune to the potion."

"There's got to be a way," Darryl insisted encouragingly. "You guys will find it; you always do."

Prue and Piper smiled at their friend's vote of confidence, even if their feeling of hopelessness didn't really subside.

"Piper! Prue!" Leo's voice called from upstairs.

The three of them hurried up to the attic to see Leo setting up a circle of white candles.

"Hey," Piper greeted. "What's going on?"

Leo lit the last of the candles. "I just got back from The Elders. They think they're onto The Source's plan and what's going on with Phoebe. I'm going back up there to help out, but first, they've arranged for you to speak with someone."

"Who?" Prue asked.

Within the circle of candles, twinkling white lights began to twirl and form a glowing cloud of light. As the brightness subsided, there stood Patty Halliwell in her glowing ethereal form. She smiled softly at her daughters.

Prue and Piper were stunned. Seeing the ghost of their mother now, when they had just lost their dad, reminding them that they were now adult orphans, hit them with quite an emotional tidal wave.

"Mom," a teary-eyed Piper greeted.

Prue smiled, welling up herself. "I'm so happy to see you."

"My beautiful girls," Patty's voiced slightly echoed. "I wish I could hold you like last time, but The Elders have sent me for a specific purpose. Even so, it's wonderful to get to be near you again."

"Is it about Dad, is he okay?" Prue asked. "Or…or is it about Phoebe?"

"Both," Leo answered on the spirit's behalf.

Patty prepared herself to break some unsettling news. "Your father's soul hasn't passed on into the afterlife and The Elders aren't certain where he is… but they think The Source might have him."

Piper immediately felt sick. "What could The Source want with Dad?"

"I'm not sure… but I think I do know what he wants with Phoebe."

"Do you know where she is," Prue asked hopefully. "What's happening to her?"

Patty bowed her head, her ghostly eyes tinted with sadness.

The look on her mother's face made Piper's stomach drop to her feet. "Mom? Is Phoebe going to be okay?"

Patty looked up and took in a deep breath to steady her emotion. "That's why The Elders have sent me. There's a story that you've never been told; a side of our history that we foolishly kept from you, thinking it was for the best."

"How far back are we talking?" Prue wanted to know.

"The very beginning of your prophecy," Patty started. "The day Melinda Warren was put to death."

Phoebe stood before a golden elevator. She was still in The Underworld, but this part was slightly different. It was still warm and red-tinted, but this part seemed smoother and less stone age. She looked for a button to open the doors, but couldn't find one.

But that wasn't a problem it seemed, as the elevator pinged and opened for her by itself. She stepped inside. It was bizarre; she could have easily been in the elevator at Prue's old auction house, Buckland's; or at some fancy hotel.

Inside, she did have buttons to press. Nine of them. Having been told by The Keeper of the Scroll exactly where she needed to be, Phoebe pressed the button marked 9. The doors closed and the elevator went down.

(Opening Credits)

 _Salem, Massachusetts, 1692._

Two men dragged Melinda Warren through a crowd as villagers pelted her with stones. Her hands were tied behind her back as she was taken towards the gallows, her hair and face filthy from the condition she had been kept in by her accusers. She wanted so badly to hide her tears from these people, to seem unbreakable in the face of their hatred, but the thought of leaving her young daughter and not being certain of Prudence's safety was too overwhelming. She gulped as she stood before the jeering crowd and felt a noose pulled around her throat.

The witch hunter spat in her face. "I love the smell of dead witch in the morning," he smirked.

Melinda looked him in the eyes, her resolve strong as ever in the midst of such terror. "Killing me solves nothing. Magic will live on."

"Your kind is a disease on our world and we will find a cure. But until then, cutting your numbers down in size will be satisfactory." He smiled at the people as they screamed, hissed and spat at the young witch.

"This is not a victory!" she cried out. "Your hatred will bring nothing to this world but sorrow!"

But the crowd wasn't listening; they were too busy taunting her with the vilest insults their corrupted minds could muster.

Melinda sighed in dismay, when suddenly a rush of energy came over her. A feeling of hope washed through her body as images flashed in her mind. She smiled at the witch hunter and then addressed the crowd once again. "This is not the end," she proclaimed, rejoicing in her prophecy. "Future Warren women will dedicate their lives to saving those innocent of the existence of magic – what you call demon-worship but is anything but - for centuries to come. Each generation of my line will grow stronger and stronger, culminating with the birth of three sisters. Together they will harness the greatest force of good magic ever known. They will be known as The Charmed Ones!"

Trying to hide his reaction to what she had just foretold, the witch hunter smirked. "Burn in hell, witch!" and he gave the signal to open the trapdoor.

Melinda squeezed her eyes shut, but she didn't feel anything, nor did she hear the crowd any more. She opened her eyes just a bit, just to squint, making sure she wasn't dead. No, she was still there, but everyone else was frozen.

"Did I do this?" Melinda asked herself. Usually she'd need her hands to activate her freezing power, but these were unusual and dire circumstances.

No, this wasn't her doing. That became clear when the area darkened and an unnatural shadow shifted across the ground towards her. The shadow lingered around the witch hunter's feet and rose up into his body. He unfroze and smiled sinisterly at Melinda.

Swallowing her fear, she bravely asked, "Who are you?"

The witch hunter's eyes had turned jet black. "Oh, I think you know the answer to that question."

And she did, so she demanded, "Why are you here?"

He sniggered through his callous grin. "I heard your little prophecy and it piqued my interest."

She refused to waver. "Good will prevail. Even you can't stop this prophecy from being fulfilled."

His snigger became a full-blown laugh. He looked at her with his dark eyes and she felt him looking into her soul. "I may not be able to stop it… but that doesn't mean I can't spice it up a bit. Good has dealt their cards; now we shall deal ours."

The sky that had been rather clear and blue, suddenly went intimidatingly dark as he crept towards Melinda and whispered into her ear. "You will have your Charmed Ones, but they won't be immune to temptation. The youngest and most vulnerable sister will be born on a site of great magic; magic that is very potent, but very corruptible. Her heart will be torn between good and evil; a battle will rage inside."

A tear ran down Melinda's cheek. "She will overcome your evil."

"Perhaps, but if she doesn't, her soul will be mine… and with it, The Power of Three!"

The witch hunter's eyes suddenly turned back to normal; the crowd unfroze and the sky was blue again. He looked confused, but quickly came around. He gestured again and the trapdoor opened, Melinda falling to her death. She was luckier than many had been; the rope broke her neck and she died almost instantly.

The crowd cheered at what they had just witnessed.

"So you're saying this was prophesized?" Piper asked her mother. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"We were worried about causing a self-fulfilled prophecy," Patty admitted, despairingly. "Perhaps The Source was toying with us; The Elders were reluctant to trust his words – they only told us after we were both gone and you three had already received your powers. But even if his prophecy was genuine, we feared that making Phoebe aware of it…"

"Might have put pressure on her?" Prue completed.

Patty nodded. "Exactly."

Piper shook her head. "But if she'd known, she would've known why she was targeted so much; she could have been better prepared."

"The Elders thought it was something Phoebe had to reach on her own" Leo explained. "That her true morality would win out if they stood back and let it."

"Really?" Piper asked, laughing bitterly. "Or is it that they thought that if she knew she was more susceptible to evil she'd automatically go that way?"

Suddenly something hit her. "Holy crap, is this why they never said anything about her dating a freakin' demon? They were that afraid of rocking the boat with her so they just stood back with their mouths shut?"

"Piper," and Prue put her hand on her sister's shoulder in an attempt to calm her. Piper just growled angrily.

"I'll get you some water," Darryl offered.

"No, thanks, Darryl. I'm…" Piper exhaled loudly and felt a little faint. "Actually, that'd be good; thank you."

Prue turned back to her mother. "You said something about The Source getting The Power of Three because of Phoebe turning. How does that work?"

"I think Leo might be able to answer that question better than I could," and Patty nodded to her son-in-law.

"Well as we already figured out," Leo began, "the more the black blood put into Phoebe's body spread, the more her darkness took hold. The Elders think that… they think your Dad's death might have pushed her over the edge, especially with Cole being the one to do it. They think it caused the black blood to finally reach her heart."

"Her heart is black?" Prue gasped. "Well…is that it, does that mean we're too late?"

"Not quite," Leo quickly tried to allay her fears. "It has her heart, but it doesn't have her soul. Her soul isn't something that the blood can take; she has to give it. That'll only happen if she takes an innocent life."

"If she took a life, the blood would blacken her soul," Patty continued, "And then The Power of Three would be corrupted. Then The Source could take the Power of Three for himself; having rotted the magic of our family line."

"Phoebe would never kill…" Piper started, but then suddenly remembered the future they had visited years ago and stopped herself from finishing the sentence.

Prue knew who she was speaking of. "Cal Greene was anything but innocent…" she growled.

"But he was innocent of magic," Piper pointed out, remembering the lesson they'd learned, and the one they'd been reminded of not that long ago. "And by doing that, she proved that she was a witch; that magic was real."

Patty nodded. "That was one of several occasions when The Source tried to force his prophecy. There were two times in particular; the night Phoebe was born and when she was just six years old…"

The Source rose up through a large building in the elevator. The doors opened and before him were the offices of his Brotherhood. The Charmed Ones had set them back a little not long ago; having vanquished three of their top demons, but The Source knew it wouldn't take long for them to get back on track and he was right. The offices were bustling with suited men and women, phones were ringing, meetings were being held. The operation seemed to be running smoothly as ever, even with Klea keeping an eye on The Underworld for him.

Several suits turned at looked at him in Cole's body. Some of them were new and were simply wondering who he was, others thought the traitor had returned and were preparing to hurl their energy balls. The Source blackened Cole's eyes to indicate who he was and the entire office knelt at his feet.

"I am here, my children" he smiled. "Let the chaos begin…"

The Underworld's elevator finished its descent and the doors opened. What Phoebe saw didn't surprise her. A crackling red vortex hovered above in an angry sky, and from it balls of fire flew down into a black ocean. Just beyond the ocean was a throne; crimson red and gold.

It had to be with the throne, she thought.

"How do you intend to get across?" a voice echoed.

Klea walked in beside her.

Phoebe didn't answer; she didn't even look at her.

"No teleporting down here," Klea smirked. "You may be powerful, but even you won't get across there without some deeply unpleasant pain. You don't even have an umbrella."

Phoebe chuckled under her breath. "Don't need one." She looked Klea in the eye and grinned.

Klea couldn't deny being just a bit unsettled.

Phoebe stepped out of the elevator and into the rain of fire. The first few flames missed her, but she then started to be pelted. They burned through her clothes and singed her skin. She activated her levitation power just enough so that she could walk over the black water. She screamed as her flesh burned. At least, it seemed like screaming; Klea could have sworn she was laughing.

Klea watched horrified as Phoebe moved towards the throne; she wasn't even trying to run; it was as if she wanted to prolong the pain.

Phoebe touched the throne with her burnt hand. She smiled, her face dirty with ash from her singed clothes.

Klea shuddered as she watched. "Oh, my liege, I do hope you know what sort of monster you have created."

Back at the Manor, Prue, Piper, Leo and Darryl were still listening to Patty's story.

Darryl was shocked by what he was hearing. "They tried to kidnap Phoebe at birth?"

Patty wiped a tear from her eye. "We were lucky my mother was there; her power was at its peak when she was protecting her family."

"And she was also targeted when she was five by the shadow under the Manor," Prue remembered.

Patty nodded. "Phoebe's Woogeyman."

"Right," Piper remembered, "The shadow we also battled after we became Charmed – and that also went after Phoebe."

"Exactly. You see, the shadow Phoebe called the Woogeyman - her word for Boogeyman - is an entity that feeds on corrupted magic. But when it went after the Manor, since it's sitting on the nexus of the wiccan pentagram formed by five elements, the entity didn't account for how much good had been living on the spiritual spot for so many centuries. That spot had become too good; the entity was biting off more than it could chew and our family was able to seal it in the basement using that same power."

"Phoebe was always terrified about going down into the basement," Piper pointed out.

Patty nodded. "We think it sensed an opportunity with Phoebe in the house. A new life with the magic that could be turned dark, so it tried to get her after an earthquake cracked the floor of the basement. Luckily, Mother anticipated that this might happen. She was ready in the basement with the banishing spell."

Prue nodded. "Luckily she taught it to us girls as a rhyme just to be safe, so when there was another earthquake, we were able to banish it yet again."

Patty also nodded. "Banished but not vanquished – that is something that can not happen as long as the the Book of Shadows is in the attic, since that is the power that the entity craves.

Leo suddenly spoke up. "The Elders are calling. Is it okay if I…"

Piper nodded. "Yeah, they might have more information. We need all we can get."

Leo kissed her and orbed out.

Prue looked at her mother, silently asking her to continue, but immediately became concerned when her mother became grief-stricken. "Mom?" she asked.

Patty took a deep breath and then continued. "But for your Grams and me, the worst time, was when Phoebe was only three. That was the one time that we failed to protect her."

Piper gasped in horror, but instinctively, Prue reached out, wanting to put her hand on her mother's shoulder. She had forgotten momentarily that she couldn't touch her. Even so, Prue allowed her hand to hover close to her Mom's glowing shoulder.

Patty smiled gratefully at her oldest daughter, then took another deep breath before she began. "One night, Phoebe went missing…"

 _Halliwell Manor, 1981._

A storm raged outside, strangely reflective of Patty's current state of mind. She hyperventilated in the dead of night and frantically searched Phoebe's room for any sign of her youngest daughter.

"Victor!" Patty screamed. Her husband ran into the room. "She's gone."

Victor's eyes widened in horror.

Later, Patty, Victor and Penny sat in the sitting room trying to think of a plan.

Penny stood and began pacing. "If they've taken her to The Underworld, we'll need all the magic we can muster."

Patty's blood-shot eyes stung as Victor reached out to hold her hand. "How do we get there?" he asked.

"You don't," Penny answered. "We barely know what we're in for, it's certainly no place for someone without magic."

Victor burst into anger. "She's my daughter! I should be there for her! It'd be one thing if I stayed here to look after Prue and Piper, but you had them sent to Gail's before I could even get a word in. I won't sit back and be useless."

"Patty is clearly already wracked with guilt over Phoebe," Penny hissed. "Do you want to be on her conscience too?"

"Enough!" Patty shouted. "Stop it right now, both of you!"

Victor and Penny went silent.

"Please, no more fighting. We cannot be arguing right now. We don't know what they're doing to her." Patty tried to stop herself from crying but she couldn't.

A stream of orbs floated down from above and Sam Wilder materialized before them. "You were right," Sam told Penny. "They're pretty sure she's in The Underworld." He turned to Patty, "I'm sorry, Patty."

"Come with us?" Penny asked.

Victor jumped to his feet, horrified. "Are you freakin' kidding me?"

Penny rolled her eyes at her son-in-law. "You want us going down there without a healer? Patty should have never even told you."

Victor sighed. Sam looked at the floor.

"How do we get there?" Patty asked. "Can The Elders open a portal?"

"No," Sam answered. "But they think you can."

That confused everyone.

"The Source has his shields up, keeping good magic out," Sam explained. "But the Elders think you have something stronger than that."

Penny nodded, understanding what Sam was getting at. "A mother's love," and she smiled at her daughter. "The strongest magic of all…"

Patty smiled and agreed. "Well, it will be until the girls' powers are unbound and they can access The Power of Three, but until then…"

Patty stood in Phoebe's bedroom. Penny, Victor and Sam watched as she cast a magic circle in the center of the room. It wasn't an ordinary magic circle however, if such a thing existed, since it was made up of things of Phoebe's that meant a lot to Patty. As part of the ring, Patty placed Phoebe's old pacifier, a onesie that she wore before she could walk, a book of bedtime stories that Patty read to her every night, a teddy bear whose ears still bore Phoebe's teeth marks, and Phoebe's favorite rattle. Patty stood just outside the circle and took a slip of paper out of her pocket.

"My love for my child is strong and true; I call on that power to help us break through. To a world of darkness that we must explore. Take me to Phoebe; please open the door."

The centre of the circle opened up into a vortex. Patty looked at her husband. "I love you."

Victor reciprocated, trying to hide his feeling of inadequacy.

Patty jumped into the vortex, Penny and Sam quickly following and then the portal disappeared; leaving Victor alone with the baby items.

Having been warned that he couldn't pick up any of the items without breaking the circle and putting his wife and daughter in danger, he sat down next to the onesie, leaning down to put his cheek on it. He took the alone time to weep for his baby girl; victim to a world he knew he would never fully understand.

In The Underworld. Patty, Penny and Sam came through the vortex and were delivered to a circular room of doors. It was dark and dirty. Screams and groans of anguish echoed through the place.  
Patty's heart sank at the thought that this must be where her daughter was being kept, but she couldn't let her emotions get the better of her now.

In shimmered four demons. "You're outnumbered."

Patty responded by raising her hands and freezing them in place. Penny didn't waste any time; she used her own power to swing the doors open. Some were holding demons, so she made sure to swing them closed again and make sure they were locked before moving onto the next. She waved her arm at another door and saw Phoebe, unconscious and chained by her leg to the ground.

The demons unfroze.

"Patty, Sam," she ordered, "go get Phoebe. I'll deal with them!"

The demons laughed at the matriarch. "What you gonna do, old woman?"

"Haha! I love it when they underestimate me," and Penny raised her arms and the demons were suspended in the air. She then began waving her arms around and bouncing the demons off the walls. The wailed each time they crashed against the stone.

Patty and Sam ran to Phoebe. She was dirty and still unconscious. Sam looked at the little girl to see if there were any wounds that needed healing, but she seemed to be uninjured; however, he applied a bit of his healing touch to her head just to be safe.

Patty held her daughter and cried with relief. She didn't see the demon shimmer in behind them, but Sam did. The demon threw a fireball towards them, but Sam jumped into the path of the attack. His body burst into countless orbs and he reconstituted on the ground, wracked with pain.

Patty gasped and grabbed a potion vial from her pocket, throwing it at the demon. It smashed at the demon's feet and he was instantly turned into a stone statue.

"Sam, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he groaned as he crawled over to Patty and Phoebe. He put his arm around Patty's shoulder and looked into her eyes. "I'm just so glad you're both okay."

Patty smiled. She found herself lost in the moment. There was something special about being close to Sam. They moved closer towards each other, locked in their gaze, but suddenly Phoebe woke up. She screamed and cried hysterically. Patty held her baby tight.

Penny allowed the unconscious demons to hover before her and lowered her arms, dropping them to the ground with a loud thud. "Just consider yourself lucky that you are not at this moment, an artichoke!"

Then hearing Phoebe's screamed, she ran into the room, joining Patty and Sam in trying to calm the traumatized little girl.

Back in present day, Prue and Piper stood shocked.

"She was in The Underworld before?" Piper gawped.

"Yes," Patty sighed. "She was so frightened; we just couldn't calm her down. Mother had to give her a forgetting potion… but I don't think it ever really got rid of the scars."

"At least you got to her" Prue comforted.

"Yeah," Piper added, "You said you couldn't save her. I was afraid that maybe my baby sister isn't really my baby sister."

"No, we rescued her from The Underworld, but for a child to go through that kind of trauma… I think The Source had already done the damage he intended." Patty cleared her throat. "He wanted her to feel unsafe, to feel powerless and alone. And I'm afraid that's something we were never able to help her get over."

"So that's what she's feeling now?" Darryl asked as he handed Piper the glass of water.

Patty nodded. "She's desperate for power. Phoebe has always enjoyed the respect and courage that power gives her. The state she's in now, that could be a huge problem."

"Well then, we need to remind her that she's not alone," Prue insisted. "We're in this together, just like we always have been."

"So we need to save Phoebe and save Dad's soul. All in a day" Piper said breathlessly.

Darryl steadied Piper and took her over to a nearby chair just as Leo orbed in.

"Oh, please," Piper pleaded with her husband. "Tell us you have good news!"

Leo cringed. "Well… sort of, kinda… depends how you look at it."

Prue glared. "Go on."

"Well, The Elders don't think that Cole killed your father."

"That's impossible!" Piper exclaimed. "Phoebe saw it!"

"The Elders think that he was possessed during the time that Phoebe was captured – that since then, it's been The Source who has been using his body."

Prue's expression brightened a little. "So he didn't betrayed us again; he didn't kill Dad?"

Leo nodded. "It seems like that's the case. It would explain how The Source got Victor's soul."

"So, what's the bad way to look at it?" Piper had to ask.

Leo sighed. "Two things. First, The Source isn't used to being aboveground so his power has limitations here until he gets used to it. That may be partly why he took Cole's body; to give himself time to build strength before he reveals himself in our world."

"It's been months," Prue pointed out. "Will he be at full strength now?"

Leo shrugged. "Possibly, but we can't be certain."

"Okay, what's the second issue?" Piper prompted.

"The Elders think Phoebe went to The Underworld on her own."

Piper's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Why would she go back there after everything that's happened?"

"Probably because she thinks Cole killed her father and since Cole made himself immune to the vanquishing potion… The Elders think she might be looking for the one thing that could definitely kill him."

Down in The Underworld, Phoebe rested on the throne, her arms and legs searing with pain from the fire. She didn't mind; she was where she needed to be. She pressed the palms of her hands against the arms of the throne and they glowed with blood-red energy. The area rumbled intensely. A cloud of black smoke appeared above her, revealing something that shone in the fiery light. It floated down towards the throne; towards her.

"It's called The Mordred Blade," Leo explained to everyone. "The Source of All Evil's sword. It's used to elevate his greatest warriors and cut down his greatest enemies. If Phoebe gets it, she won't need a potion to kill Cole."

"Does The Source know about this?" Piper asked. "Why would he want to get stabbed?"

"It won't kill The Source; he'll just leave the body. But Cole- it will annihilate his human soul along with his demonic essence. He will no longer exist."

Prue stared in shock. "She's going to kill the man she loves and it's not even him."

Leo frowned, but nodded.

"We have to tell her" Prue decided. "Before she does something she regrets."

Phoebe held out her hands as the weapon hovered down into her grip. She smiled as she held the blade and was mesmerized by the crimson glint of its metal. She stood up from the throne, overcoming her pain. Grinning maniacally, she held the sword up above her head, victorious. "I will fix this Daddy. I promise."

The Source stood in a large room with countless Brotherhood members before him. He was pleased with everything they had told him.

"We are ready to move forward when you are, my liege" one of the suits declared.

The Source smiled. "We will move forward now. I think we have been patient enough. Things are going well, so let us take full advantage."

The suit nodded. "Very well, my liege."

The crowd turned to reveal a wall filled with television screens. "Our operatives are awaiting your orders. They are prepared to ready the world for your ascension."

On the television screens were several hooded figures. Some were holding guns; some were holding knives and other weapons.

"It shall be done," The Source smirked. "Let the war between Good and Evil begin, my children. Let the war begin."

(To be continued) 


	10. Gazing Into the Abyss

**Charmed  
Season 4, Episode 10  
Gazing Into the Abyss  
By P3Nathan**

Phoebe shifted through the Underworld vortex and found herself back in her father's apartment. It felt strange being there; surreal. She expected him to be there and he was.

He smiled at her, sympathetically. "Oh sweetheart, what have you done to yourself?" he said.

She clasped the Mordred Blade with her burnt hand and brushed some of the ash off her face with the other. "I did what I had to. Now I'll always do what I have to do."

"I'm proud of you, Phoebs." He looked at the Book of Shadows on the table. "You know your sisters might want that back."

"I promised I'd return it. But I need it for a little longer."

"To save me?" he whispered.

She nodded. "To save you. I'm crafting a spell to raise the dead," and Phoebe lay the sword down next to the Book.

Phoebe stood in the shower. She turned the water on and allowed it to wash over her. The ash was washed away almost instantly, but the burns all over her body seared. It was agony. She screamed and cried as the water splashed over her face and swept away her tears as quickly as she formed them.

A disturbed Sinead Griffith wandered into San Francisco Memorial Hospital, clutching her hand close to her chest as she moved towards the reception desk.

"Please," she pleaded to the receptionist. "I need help."

"Okay," the receptionist started, "just fill out this form…"

"I can't write!" Sinead interrupted. She showed the receptionist her hand. The burn had spread - now it looked as if she had stuck her hand in a deep fat fryer.

The receptionist tried to hide her shock. "Um, okay, well, I'll try to get someone to assist you. Just take a seat for a moment please."

Sinead nodded and sat down in the small waiting area. She didn't settle at all and that only worsened when she saw Piper and Prue entering the building.

Piper's eyes widened.

"You!" Sinead pointed.

"Let's all just sit down and discuss this" Prue suggested.

"You did this." Sinead ranted. "If it wasn't for you people, I wouldn't…"

Suddenly the hospital became an awful lot busier.

A young woman was rolled in on a gurney by paramedics. Within the commotion, Piper could hear them say "We have a woman with multiple stab wounds. Get ready because we have a lot more of these coming in!"

Piper looked at the young woman they were discussing and gasped as she recognized the unconscious face.

"Prue," she whispered. "That's Aviva!"

"Oh, my God" Prue exclaimed, seeing the bloody mess on her body.

Several more people were wheeled in and Piper and Prue both stood in shock as familiar face after familiar face was brought in fatally wounded.

"Marcy, Daisy, Brittany, Max, Phoebe's old college friends…" Piper counted. "Prue, what the hell is going on?"

She turned and saw a TV up in the corner of the waiting room and her heart jolted as she saw Prue's old workplace. She tapped her sister's shoulder. "Prue." Then she shouted, "Can you turn that up please?"

Nobody was paying attention, so Prue squinted at the television and the volume obeyed her mental command.

"Police are investigating a shooting at San Francisco's Buckland's Auction House. We've yet to hear if there were any survivors. Police are still looking for suspects and as of yet there is no known reason for why the workplace was targeted…"

"Oh, God!" and Piper began to panic.

"The club," Prue gasped.

"You go there now," Piper ordered frantically. "I'll call Darryl and Leo, warn them about our innocents!"

"Will you be okay?" Prue asked, concerned.

"No," Piper admitted before insisting, "But we need to act fast or nobody will be."

Prue nodded. "Oh, Piper? Can you ask Darryl to check to see if Bane's okay?" and Piper couldn't help but smile as she nodded back.

Prue ran down the corridor, towards the exit.

Sinead looked at Piper as she dialed a number into her cell phone. "Do these people also have your family to thank?"

"Lady," Piper growled, "I'm trying really hard to sympathize with you, but I'm pretty sure a war has just started, so you really need to shut the hell up and let me make this call!" and Sinead sat, chin nearly hitting the ground in shock.

(Opening Credits)

Phoebe carefully dried herself off after the shower, her skin still throbbing from the pain. She did however feel a bit better having cleaned herself up. She looked in the mirror and that feeling swiftly faded. The ash was off her face, but she still looked a mess. She had slicked her hair back to draw less attention to the stains that the blood seemed to have caused. It was the first time she'd seen that the darkened veins weren't just on her arms, but all over her body.

She stepped out of the bathroom, but dizziness swept over her. She thought it was just from the heat of the bathroom, but when she looked up, she wasn't in her father's apartment anymore; she was in some sort of residential home. Many residents were sitting around. Most were older, however there were some younger people sitting amongst them. Caregivers wandered around tending to their needs.

One of them was someone Phoebe recognized. "Maggie Murphy?" she thought.

She watched as Maggie looked at her watch. It seemed her shift was over. She said her goodbyes and left the building. She could be seen leaving through a large window and as she walked down the street, Phoebe saw a hooded figure following her.

Phoebe gasped and she was back in the apartment. Victor stood watching her, a look of beaming pride on his face. He nodded.

Prue pulled her car up in front of P3 and it seemed she was right to be worried. She looked in horror as her sister's club burned in flames. She called the fire department on her cell phone before jumping out of the car and charging straight towards the burning building. She grabbed the door to push it open but jolted back as the burning metal scalded her hand. She quickly used her power to force it open; the amount of force she had to use made her think that someone had locked it. She ran through the veil of smoke and had to steady herself against the sudden impact of the heat

As she powered through the mess, hearing the screams and moans of people within, she wondered if it would've been wiser to send in her astral form. No, she thought; there was a good chance she'd need to be able to use her other ability to help her get people to safety. She ran down the steps to the main club area and was horrified by the size of the inferno.

"The entrance is open!" she shouted. "Anyone who can, run outside and wait for the fire department. Stay clear of the building!"

Multiple people ran past her up the stairs.

There were still three people left. One woman struggled on the floor having hurt her leg. A man laid groaning under a fallen piece of wood and another woman laid under a considerable amount of debris.

Prue ran towards the woman with the injured leg. "Okay, honey, I need you to take a deep breath and try your best to stand okay?" Prue put the woman's arm around her shoulder for support. "Okay, one, two…"

Before Prue could finish, a flaming piece of ceiling came crashing down towards them. The woman squeezed her eyes shut and screamed, which was fortunate as it meant Prue could wave her arm and move the debris, causing it to crash beside them.

Prue helped the woman stand. They hobbled over to the stairs and Prue helped her up and out the exit.

Once Prue came back down, she found that the fire had spread, blocking her path towards the trapped man. As well as that, the smoke was beginning to get to her and she was feeling quite woozy. She wished her sister were here to freeze the scene, but then she'd hardly want Piper to be breathing in these fumes in her current state of health.

Prue waved her hands, attempting to part the inferno before her. She struggled against the flames a little; she'd moved plenty of fireballs, but she'd never attempted to manipulate such a wild and intense blaze before. Finally she was successful, so she used her telekinesis once again to shift the debris pinning the man down. He tried to thank her, but choked on the smoke.

"Can you walk?" Prue asked. When he nodded, she insisted, "Okay, then go, go, go!"

As soon as he started heading towards the stairs, she crawled over to the woman trapped under the debris. Prue was hopeful, but she hadn't seen any sign of movement from her since she entered the building. Prue laid two fingers on her neck and checked for a pulse. Nothing. "Damn it," she sighed.

But knowing there was no time to lose, Prue sprinted for the steps and ran out of the building as fast as she could. As she finally made it outside and turned to look at her sister's business; one final explosion of flame burst through one of the windows.

Prue watched, tears in her eyes and ash on her face, as the club named in honor of their sisterhood perished.

Piper stood waiting anxiously in the hospital. She had just had her radiotherapy appointment and was waiting for Leo. Her cell phone rang, so she quickly answered it. "Leo?"

"No, Piper, it's me."

"Oh my God, Phoebe! Are you alright? There's been attacks all over the city!"

Very matter of fact, Phoebe told her, "Maggie Murphy is being followed by someone dangerous, outside Maystone Residential Home."

"Come with me." Piper attempted to get through to her sister. "Meet me there; we can save her together."

Phoebe paused for only a moment. "Sorry, I have a bigger battle on my hands."

"Phoebe," Piper sighed. "Phoebs. Please…"

"Piper," Phoebe's voice trembled a little.

Piper waited.

"…love you." And the phone clicked as Phoebe disconnected the line.

Piper shook her head and put her phone back in her pocket. "I love you, too," she whispered.

Maggie Murphy strolled down the street, unaware of the cloaked and hooded figure walking behind her. Both Maggie and the figure suddenly stopped in their tracks, completely motionless. Piper pulled her hand back in through the car window as she pulled up next to them. Piper got out and ran in front of Maggie. She gently waved her hand and Maggie unfroze.

She jumped. "Oh, you scared me. Do I know you?"

"Um, we met briefly," Piper explained. "You spent more time with my sisters; Prue and Phoebe Halliwell?"

"Oh, of course," Maggie smiled. "My angels. I thought you looked familiar. How are they?"

Piper suddenly became a little dizzy, and she noticed that as she grew fainter, the hooded figure began to slowly move. "Oh, crap. Okay, this guy behind you isn't your friend so you need to stand behind me."

Maggie looked behind her and didn't need any more convincing. She ran behind Piper as the villain unfroze.

"Witch" the hood smirked, revealing at least that it was female. She pulled a knife.

"Why are you attacking all our innocents?" Piper asked. "Who sent you?"

"Who do you think?" she hissed.

Piper looked around, the coast was clear, but she decided she should try to be as subtle about using her magic as possible nevertheless. The robed woman slashed at her, but Piper raised her hand and froze her hand in place. She then managed to kick the knife from her grasp.

"Run to the car!" Piper shouted and they did just that as the woman managed to pull her hand from the freeze.

Maggie routed around in her handbag as they ran. "Just because I'm a volunteer doesn't mean I'm a pushover." She took a can of hairspray from her bag and sprayed it at the attacker, but it just seemed to anger her.

"Do it again," Piper whispered, "But a bit away from her."

Maggie sprayed again, a little to the side of the attacker. Piper waved her hand and the cloud of vapor turned into a stream of fire that knocked the attacker off her feet. The hood ran away.

"Maybe I was wrong," Maggie exhaled. "You and your sisters…not exactly angels, huh?"

Piper shrugged. "Not exactly."

Maggie smiled. "Still…close enough. Thank you," and Piper smiled. Not often enough was she thanked for using her magic and it felt good.

In Victor's apartment, Phoebe sat at the dining table with a map. She held a crystal over it and waited for the crystal to be pulled by Cole's energy. She was holding the last remaining vial of vanquishing potion that they had made using his flesh. She knew it wouldn't kill him anymore, but it would at least give her the means to locate him. The crystal dropped on a block of offices that she recognized.

"Of course," as she rolled her eyes. "I should've known."

"I hope you know what you're doing, sweetie" Victor said. "This seems awfully risky; that place will be full of demons."

"If I have any hope of bringing you back, I need to take from him what he took from you. I need his heart."

"And you can do that? Take the heart of the man you once loved?"  
"If I didn't need it whole," she seethed, "I would crush it with my bare hands!"

She stood and picked up the Mordred Blade. "I have no intention of taking on his brothers. Somehow I doubt they'll come near me when they see I have this."

Leo stood with Sinead Griffiths at the hospital. He went to lay his hands over hers, but she backed away.

"I can try to help you," Leo told her, "but you need to let me."

"Why should I trust you?" she asked.

"You saw the demon that killed your brother and you saw the sisters defeat it. Surely you can give us the benefit of the doubt."

Sinead thought for a second, looking at her raw, painful hand. She nodded and held out her hand for him. He applied his power and the golden light shone. The healing seemed to be going well; the redness started to fade slightly, but then Leo was jolted back by an intense force of energy that blocked his power from taking full effect. "Sorry," he apologized, disappointed.

Sinead looked at her hand. She was sad to see it hadn't healed completely, but relieved to see that Leo had at least seemed to undo some of the spreading. "Don't be. Thank you."

In the offices of the Brotherhood of the Thorn, The Source stood smiling, watching the destruction he had caused throughout the city on multiple monitors. He proudly stood amongst his willing servants. "We have made a wonderful start. The war has begun and good is trembling. This city will be ours and before long, the world will fall in line."

Phoebe appeared behind them, holding the Mordred Blade. The Source turned to face her. "Phoebe," he smirked. "So nice of you to join us. You look like hell."

Phoebe smiled. The Brotherhood members backed away from her as she moved towards The Source. She held out her arms and embraced the body of her former lover. Before anyone could react, they had both vanished.

Piper arrived back at The Manor to find Prue stood waiting with Darryl.

"Maggie is safe. I've given her all our contact details if anything suspicious happens."

"Maggie Murphy?" Prue asked.

"Yep," Piper clarified. "Phoebe warned me about the attack."

"Who attacked her?" Darryl questioned.

"Some woman with a knife in a hooded robe. She could have been a warlock, but…"

"But what?" and Prue raised an eyebrow.  
Piper was perplexed. "Well, if she had any magic, she wasn't using it."

"Could she have been worried about exposure?" Darryl asked.

"I don't know… Walking down the street in that weird cult getup, I can't imagine that was too big a concern for her."

Piper stopped in her tracks, seeing the looks on Prue and Darryl's faces. "What is it? What's happened?"

"Sweetie," Prue took a deep breath as she began. "We have some bad news."

Piper's heart dropped. "What is it?"

Darryl broke the news. "There was an attack at P3; the club was set on fire. The damage is pretty extensive."

Piper gawped for a moment. "Um, is everyone okay?"

Prue shook her head. "We lost someone in there. I was too late."

"But she single-handedly saved countless other people before the fire department even got there," and Darryl side-eyed Prue for beating herself up.

Prue tried to gauge Piper's silent reaction. "Are you okay?"

Piper snapped herself out of the shock. "I don't know… yeah, I guess. One thing at a time. How is everyone else?"

"There were no survivors at Buckland's" Darryl told her.

Piper sighed with despair. "Jack Sheridan?" she asked.

"He's fine. We checked. He moved to another auction house earlier this year."

Still, Prue was deeply saddened by the situation. "Darryl has been keeping up with any developments at the hospital." Piper informed her.

"It seems like the innocents you saw being wheeled in, Bucklands and P3 were the only attacks, for now anyway," Darryl reported. "Most of your innocents are in critical but stable condition for the moment. We checked 415 and Quake, they're fine, but I've sent them some security."

Piper nodded. "Thank you, Darryl."

Leo orbed in beside them. "The whitelighters are back in action. They're going to do some subtle bits of healing whenever they can, just enough that it looks like the doctors have gotten really lucky. You guys need to get to P3."

Phoebe was surprised when they materialised at her sister's club and she found it in ruins.

"Ah, P3!" The Source smirked.

"What did you do?" Phoebe snarled.

He shrugged. "Reduced P3 to rubble and ash. Think of it as a poetic representation of things to come," he sniggered.

Phoebe's grip around the sword's hilt tightened.

The Source noticed. "Are you planning on killing me? It's a bit late to make up for the destruction you've wrought, Phoebe. Look around you."

"I may not be able to fix everything you've broken," Phoebe hissed, "but I can sure as hell try."

"But can you fix yourself? That's the big question, Phoebs, isn't it?"

"You don't get to call me that!" She charged at him, the sword raised, swinging for his neck, and he only just dodged the attack.

He started chuckling. "Remember in the cemetery, when I put on my innocent face for you; played the half-human card and convinced you to let me walk?"

She growled as she kicked him in the gut, which momentarily stopped The Source from talking, since it knocked the wind out of Cole's body. He hurled an energy ball at her, but she bounced it off the Mordred Blade. She held out her hand and a blast of shadowy energy burst from her palm and hit The Source in the chest.

It only served to knock him back a few steps.

"Oooh, I see we're taking to the black blood rather well." He punched her across the cheek and she responded by roundhouse kicking him in the throat. He was knocked to the floor, but quickly rose back up.

"Stop!" Piper's voice shouted from behind them. Prue and Piper ran into the club's remains.

"It's not Cole!" Prue yelled.

"What?" Phoebe whispered.

As Prue and Piper grew close, they both tried not to seem too shocked by how their sister looked. Inside, however, they were horrified.

The Source laughed. "The Power of Three. Together again for the last time."

Phoebe turned to Cole and saw his eyes blacken. Once again, she'd been deceived.

"Honestly, Phoebe," The Source laughed, toying with her, "you made it far too easy. So easily led."

"Stop it," she whispered.

"I was in your home, in your bed. You know you loved the nights we spent together… the way I touched you."

"Shut your mouth!" Prue roared, ready to try and rip out The Source's throat.

Tears rolled down Phoebe's cheeks; they burned like acid. She looked to the side of her and saw Victor. He sadly shook his head.

"I'm sorry" she cried out to him. She knew that Cole's heart was no good for her spell if he wasn't truly the man who killed her father. "I failed."

Piper looked The Source in the blackness of his eyes. "You smirk all you want; you know as well as we do that you can't stop The Power of Three."

The Source looked around him. "What Power of Three?" He flamed out, leaving the sisters in silence.

"I failed," Phoebe repeated.

"Phoebs" Piper softly spoke, reaching out for her younger sister. "It wasn't Cole; you couldn't have known."

Prue looked at her baby sister, perplexed. "She's not talking to us. Who are you talking to, Phoebe?"

Phoebe looked at her sisters for the first time. "Dad."

Prue and Piper looked at each other, now deeply concerned. "Sweetie," Prue tried to explain, "we think The Source has Dad's soul, The Elders can't find him."

Phoebe shook her head. "He's here with me, I need to do this for him."

Piper struggled to hide the worry in her voice. "Okay, come home and we can do it together like we always have."

"No," Phoebe shook her head. "I did this. If I can't bring him back, I'll still avenge him."

"Phoebe," Prue firmly commanded, "you need to stop; you need help."

But again Phoebe shook her head. "No. I'm in this alone. This darkness, this blood, it's mine." She held up the sword. "I won't let anyone else be hurt or corrupted because of me… or him."

"Phoebe…" Piper attempted.

"I meant what I said. I love you both, but you need to stay out of the way for your own safety. Don't interfere," and Phoebe Halliwell blinked out.

Prue and Piper stood in shock.

With Phoebe and The Source gone, Piper really took in her surroundings for the first time. She walked through the club, to what was left of the bar. She brushed her hand against the surface she used to work behind. Tears filled her eyes as she mourned her business.

Prue walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

Piper wiped the tears from her eyes. "We have bigger things at stake now. We need to get our baby sister back and we need to stop The Source."

Prue nodded and with her arm around her sister's shoulder, they left the building together. As they did, Piper saw the neon P3 sign smashed on the ground and charred. Broken and no longer shining, it was almost too painful to look at.

Sinead Griffith sat in her apartment, holding an ice pack to her hand. It had stopped throbbing for a while after Leo had partly healed it, but now it had started to hurt considerably yet again. She watched the news of the attacks on the news unfolding and saw that Piper's club had been targeted.

The burn suddenly began to sear with pain more than ever and Phoebe blinked in beside her.

"Oh, my God!" panic in Sinead's voice. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"My father's last moments on earth were spent tied to a chair," Phoebe spat. "And being held at gunpoint by you."

"I wasn't thinking straight," she pleaded. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize what I was getting into."

"Nevertheless, you got into it, didn't you? No going back now." Phoebe noticed the burn and Sinead wincing in pain. She moved towards her, not helping Sinead's anxiety as she grabbed her wrist to get a closer inspection. "You've been infected?"

"Infected? What? I…"

"You've been infected… and that, my dear, makes you useful." She kept her tight grip on Sinead's wrist and the two vanished from the apartment in the blink of an eye.

-  
Next time on Charmed-  
As Phoebe crafts a new and dangerous plan, she goes even further over the edge and into the darkness. With an innocent in danger and Phoebe's soul on the line, her sisters' hands may be forced. 


	11. War of the Witches

**Charmed  
Season 4, Episode 11  
War of the Witches  
By P3Nathan**

Leo Wyatt woke up. He was perplexed as to why he had. His alarm hadn't gone off by mistake and it was still dark. He turned over and found that his wife wasn't led beside him. He saw that the mattress was wet with sweat where she had been. The bathroom light was on. Leo got out of bed and walked over to the door, which had been left ajar.

"Piper?" he said softly, as to not wake Prue. He could hear heavy breathing from within the room. "Say something or I'm coming in."

There was no response. He opened the door and found Piper on the floor holding her upper body up against the toilet. She was soaked in sweat. Leo rushed to her side.

"What happened? He asked as he wiped the sweat from her brow with a piece of tissue.

"I just started throwing up" Piper said weakly. "God, I have no energy…" she hunched over the toilet again, but it was a false alarm.

"It's getting worse; we need to tell the doctor" Leo insisted.

Piper shook her head. "It's just a rough night, it happens."

"Piper, we're not ignoring this."

Piper sighed. "Okay fine, on one condition; don't tell Prue. She's stressed enough with everything going on with Phoebe and Dad and The Source."

"Yeah well, that's probably what's making you so much worse" Leo pointed out.

"I'll be fine; we just need to get our family back" Piper wheezed.

Leo nodded, unable to muster an expression of hope that would convince his wife.

Sinead Griffith sat on a chair in Victor Bennet's apartment. Her hands were strapped to the arms with duct tape just as Victor's had been. A look of terror was etched on her face as she tried to pull her arms from the restraints.

Phoebe flipped through the Book of Shadows and several pieces of paper she had been taking notes on. She looked increasingly frantic.

"She's mortal sweetheart" Victor said beside her.

"I know that, but Cole didn't kill you, so his heart won't work… but she held you at gunpoint." Phoebe told him.

"You can't kill her, she's an innocent." He said.

"I don't intend to kill her… not immediately anyway" Phoebe corrected.

Sinead whimpered as she watched Phoebe talk to herself.

"Shut up" Phoebe hissed.

Sinead continued to whimper and pull at her restraints.

"Go ahead, keep whimpering, get loose… I'll nail your arms to the chair and sew your damn mouth shut!" Phoebe screamed.

Sinead silenced and stilled herself, the look of terror still present.

Phoebe turned around; Victor had gone. "Dad?" Phoebe's eyes began to tear up, but she pushed her emotions down deeper within her being. She looked at Sinead again. "Let's get this over with."

(Opening credits)

Prue and Piper sat in the attic, either side of the table they usually used to cast their spells. They were surrounded by open books and pieces of paper. Both sisters looked exhausted.

"We need to get The Book back; this is ridiculous" Piper looked around at the mess.

"I feel like the solution is right under our noses and I just can't quite touch it" Prue told her, frustrated. She looked at Piper. "Are you okay? I can carry on if you want to go and lie down, it's not as if we're getting very far anyway."

Piper shook her head. "No, I want to be here for you and for Phoebe." Piper picked up one of the books beside her. It was a beginner's guide to witchcraft. "Maybe we need to get back to basics. Read 'Witchcraft for Dummies' cover to cover" Piper joked.

Prue's eyes widened in response.

"Idea brewing?" Piper asked.

"Maybe. What you just said, it reminded me of when we went back in time and learned all about the roots of our magic." Prue explained.

"Okay…" Piper listened.

"We're dealing with The Source of All Evil. Key word- source. He is evil magic! So maybe we need to think back to our roots and remember our own source."

Piper wasn't entirely sure what her sister was getting at, but Prue's sudden burst of enthusiasm gave her hope.

Leo orbed in near them.

"Hey, what did the Elders have to say?" Piper enquired.

"Nothing good. Phoebe has Sinead." Leo told them.

"Sinead? Why?" Prue looked perplexed.

"They think she wants to resurrect your father and she was there for his last moments and had a gun, so they think Phoebe might want her for whatever spell she's crafting."

Prue stood. "But the gun was empty; she just took it to scare him."

Leo sighed. "Well we'd better tell Phoebe that, because she's dangerously close to the line right now."

Piper interjected. "If she kills Sinead…"

"Her soul will be lost" Leo completed. "There may not be a way to get her back from that."

"Well even if there is, how could she live with herself?" Prue rubbed her temple. "Okay, so we need to save Sinead before Phoebe does anything stupid."

Piper slowly began to rise; Prue gave her a hand. "I'll see about some protection magic; the stuff we learned back in Virginia."

In the offices of The Brotherhood, The Source sat behind a desk in an office. Klea stood before him.

"Phoebe is getting closer and closer to the edge my liege" Klea said in her usual ice cold tone.

"Good. We'll give her time to make her biggest mistake and then we shall enact phase two. Everything is going to plan. Well… I had hoped to keep my identity a secret from her, but that's no matter at this point." He smirked.

Klea recalled what she had seen of Phoebe and a look of slight concern crossed her usually indecipherable expression. "Forgive me, but I feel I'd be doing you a disservice as your loyal servant and confidant if I didn't voice my concern. The witch is unstable. If she became unpredictable and screwed this up for us, how would we deal with the witches then?"

"I admire your honesty Klea, but have faith; everything is going our way. Besides, don't worry, I've had enough time on earth to be back at full power. If plan B needs to be enacted, it can be. One way or another, The Charmed Ones will lose."

Prue and Piper walked into their father's apartment building. "Okay, we both drank the teleportation potion, so you can take Sinead back to the house and ready the protection." Prue instructed.

"And what are you going to do?" Piper asked.

"I'll try to talk Phoebe down from the ledge. I just hope I can get through to her."

Phoebe had set up an altar in front of Sinead. Several black candles were lit around an upside down pentagram in the centre. She cut her finger and allowed some of her black blood to drip onto the pentagram and it glowed with crimson energy. "Aporto Tenebrae Mortalis Anima." Her eyes blackened and an unsettling vibration ran through the room.

In his office, The Source clutched his chest. He looked distressed.

"My liege?" Klea attended.

"What the hell is she doing?" The Source hissed as his eyes blackened and a dark aura surrounded him.

Sinead screamed as a ring of fire surrounded the chair she was sat on. The heat was hard to bare and she squeezed her eyes shut to block out the brightness of the flames.

Prue and Piper heard the scream and ran towards the apartment door. Prue waved her arm and the door shimmered with an energy barrier.

"Damn it!" Prue exclaimed.

"Attack it together" Piper instructed, holding out her hands.

Prue did the same and the combination of telekinesis and explosive magic was enough to weaken the shield. It flickered like an old television. Prue gave one last hit of her power and it flew open.

Piper waved her hands again as soon as they entered, freezing Sinead and the flames.

"Phoebe stop!" Prue demanded.

Phoebe turned to them with a look of anger in her eyes.

The Source relaxed as the aura around him began to dissipate. He gave a sigh of relief.

"My liege. What was that?" Klea asked.

"That was me being reminded never to dismiss your concern Klea. But don't worry, it seems the trouble has passed."

"I think we need to talk sis" Piper understated.

"What on earth were you doing to her?" Prue asked, less gently than her younger sibling.

"I'm just doing what I have to, to save the people I love" she replied.

"How does killing Sinead achieve that?" Piper questioned.

"By funnelling The Source into her before I do."

Prue and Piper stood shocked for a moment. "You're talking about murdering an innocent."

Phoebe laughed, her eyes swelling with conflicting emotion. "Innocent? Who's innocent these days?"

Piper sighed. "Phoebe even if you managed to pull this off… then what? You defeat The Source of All Evil singlehandedly, this is insane."

"I have The Mordred Blade" Phoebe reminded her.

"You're in over your head, you need to come home before you cross the line" Prue told her.

Phoebe shook her head manically. "It's too late for me. I need to fix it. I can't go back." She turned away, unable to face them.

Prue poked Piper's arm and nodded at Sinead. Piper got the message and while Phoebe was weeping and scratching at her own face, Piper jumped over the frozen flames, touched Sinead's shoulder and teleported out in a swarm of white lights.

Phoebe realised what was happening. "No!" she screamed furiously.

"Phoebe this isn't you" Prue attempted.

"Don't give me that. We both know this isn't a possession, I'm making my own choices!"

Prue edged a little closer. "I know you're not possessed. But you were infected and you were already ill before that."

"What makes you so sure I'm the one who's ill?" Phoebe seethed. "Hm? Look around you Prue, look at the world we're in. Look at what's been happening in San Francisco. You think our family, any witch family, is safe when people like that are getting more powerful? They need to be stopped."

Prue rolled her eyes. "So we should become killers…and the ends justify the means?"

"Bring me back Sinead" Phoebe deflected.

"I'm not saying this will be easy, but it's not too late. Listen, Sinead's gun, it wasn't load…"

"Bring me back Sinead!" Phoebe's eyes blackened and she moved towards her sister.

Prue scoffed. "You want to fight me Pheebs?"

Phoebe's voice was suddenly void of emotion. "Oh come on Prue, we both knew deep down it'd come to this eventually. The moment I stepped back into your life you wanted to smack me down."

Prue shook her head. "You're wrong. But if I need to stop you, I will."

Phoebe threw a punch at Prue's face, but Prue blocked and struck her little sister in the chest. Phoebe round house kicked Prue in the shoulder and Prue retaliated by flipping Phoebe to the floor. The youngest Halliwell quickly rose. "You're holding back."

"I don't want to hurt you" Prue panted.

Phoebe head-butted Prue and she fell to the ground. "I want you to hurt me!" she screamed.

Prue recovered on the ground. "Fine." Prue kicked Phoebe off her feet and as soon as they both rose, Prue chopped her in the throat. Phoebe got in two powerful blows to Prue's face but the eldest witch managed to stop the onslaught by scissor kicking her in the chin and sending her flying to the other side of the room.

Phoebe looked up at her sister from the ground. Prue stood trying to catch her breath with tears in her eyes and blood on her face. Phoebe smirked at her as black fluid ran from her nose. "You're telling me you didn't enjoy that?"

Phoebe held out her hand at the puddle of black ooze forming in front of her and it hardened into three long black thorny branches. "I'm stronger than you." She gestured at Prue and the branches charged towards her. They pinned her against the wall and twisted around her body. Prue groaned in pain as the thorns ripped into her skin.

"Phoebe, please. I love you." Prue whimpered.

Phoebe walked right up to her sister. "I love you too."

Prue was disturbed by how genuine that statement seemed within the context of all the violence.

Phoebe disappeared leaving Prue alone.

Piper, Leo and Sinead were in the attic of Halliwell Manor. Leo had wrapped a blanket around a traumatised Sinead and given her a glass of water.

"She said I was infected." Sinead shivered.

"We're going to see if we can do something about that" Leo assured.

"Is she cleaning right now?" Sinead looked at Piper.

Piper was sweeping around the room with a broomstick. "Nope, believe it or not, we're banking on this for protection."

"I think I'm just going to stop questioning things" Sinead decided.

"Leo can you pass me the apples and laurel leaves?" Piper requested.

Leo did so and Piper clutched them in her hands. "Okay, what was it? Erm… knowledge and… oh, knowledge and reverence, knowledge and reverence, knowledge and reverence." Piper threw the apples and leaves to each corner of the room and a force field ignited. "I did it! Thank you Eva."

Phoebe suddenly appeared. She had marks on her face but they were closing up before their very eyes.

"Okay Phoebe, just listen for a minute." Piper insisted.

"I'm done talking" Phoebe moved forward and was bounced back by the force field. She laughed. "You can't seriously think this'll stop me?"

"Phoebe, I know how frustrating and crazy making our screwed up destiny can be, you know I get that. But this isn't the way" Piper said.

"Isn't it? Piper what does it matter what I do? They're already striking. They'll attack and they'll kill until there's nothing left to fight for anymore. Not just the demons. So why the hell shouldn't I take back what was taken from me?" Phoebe scowled.

"You mean Dad and Cole?" Piper confirmed.

"What else would I mean?" Phoebe shouted, growing impatient.

"Well it wasn't just them that were robbed from you, was it?" Piper felt anxious about where she was going with this, she knew that she risked making Phoebe even worse.

"Oh don't go all very special episode on me, this isn't Doctor Phil" Phoebe looked away.

"They took your security, your feeling of safety. Then The Source…"

"Shut up!" Phoebe pummelled her fist against the force field. Phoebe began to fit with rage and scratched furiously at her arms, drawing blood. "Shut up!" The blood hardened into a spike and Phoebe waved her hand so that it protruded through the force field, causing it to begin to falter.

Prue stood in her astral form looking at her unconscious body wrapped in thorns. She had attempted to teleport out using the potion she drank earlier, but it seemed she couldn't just disappear from whatever magic Phoebe had used to capture her. She pulled at the branches but couldn't shift them at all. She looked around the room and eventually discovered The Mordred Blade. She grabbed the weapon and attempted to free her body again. The sword slid through the branches like soft butter. Prue grabbed her own body to stop herself from falling and lowered it to the ground gently. Her astral-self dematerialised and she woke up on the floor. She saw that The Book of Shadows had been left on the table, she made sure to grab it before leaving.

The force field broke down.

"I can't support you in this. I won't help you destroy yourself" Piper spoke determined.

"God, I never thought you'd be the one up on your high horse. I mean I expect it from Prue, but you hate this life and this world more than I do! I'm not the one who almost got lost in an alternate reality dream. I mean most people in your situation would probably say 'well, at least I have my health'… but you can't even claim that much!"

"We can make it better together. But not like this." Piper responded.

"She's right Phoebe" Prue's voice spoke from behind. She nodded to Leo, "Go!" Leo grabbed Piper's hand and he orbed out with his wife and Sinead. Piper didn't look happy to have been included in the orb.

Phoebe sighed and turned to her sister. "Always got to be the hero."

"You need help."

"All I need is for you to stop interfering" Phoebe spat.

"So you can lose your soul? You think if you could get Dad and Cole back that that's what they'd want for you?"

"They'd be here; I'd fix my mistake!"

"This isn't your fault. But what comes next will be"

Phoebe started shaking and screeched into the palms of her hands. She looked up and her eyes were blackened and red-rimmed. She looked furiously at Prue. "You know nothing!" Phoebe held up her arms and rose into the air. She looked down at Prue. "You know, for so many years you seemed so tall to me, indestructible. How does it feel to be looked down on?"

Prue saw the broom Piper had been using earlier on the floor. She held out her hand and the broom flew to her.

Phoebe laughed. "You're not serious?"

"What can I say sis? You're my inspiration."

Phoebe smirked. "Well then… ding dong."

Prue perched on the broom, waved her arm and telekinetically lifted it upwards to her sister's level.

Phoebe hurled a stream of darkness energy at Prue. Prue responded by raising her hand and unleashing a powerful telekinetic wave of energy to defend herself. The two sisters continuously fired their magic, the darkness and telekinetic energy meeting in the middle, equally matched. The expressions on both sisters' faces showed that they were clearly struggling to keep up with each other's power. Seeing that she was getting nowhere and that Phoebe wasn't going to stop, Prue waved her other hand and lifted a chair off the ground, throwing it in Phoebe's direction. Phoebe flipped out of the way, still airborne, to dodge the chair, causing her to stop blasting for a moment. Prue relaxed her arm for a second, giving Phoebe the chance to shoot a small blast of darkness at Prue's broom. Prue panicked and screamed as she lost her grip on the broom and fell to the ground.

Down in the basement Piper paced. Kit comically paced back and forth behind her. Leo and Sinead watched her as she thought.

"What are you thinking?" Leo asked.

"Phoebe mentioned when I was in that coma dreaming of a life without magic and demons…"

"Okay."

"Well, she helped me out of that by getting through to me. She reminded me of all the good we've done and showed me what was important. That's what brought me back." Piper explained.

"Even so, the choice ultimately still had to be yours" Leo pointed out.

"I know, but if I can just get through to her somehow. Her walls are up high and the Source's infection is clouding everything for her, but if I could just reach her." Piper's eyes widened. "That's it!"

"You can stop her?" Sinead asked.

"Well… if I pretend to be a 'glass half full' kind of person for a few minutes, yeah, I think we have a pretty good shot!" Piper smiled.

Prue groaned on the floor. Phoebe levitated down to her. She looked genuinely sad, even through her eyes as black as onyx.

"I'm sorry it came to this" she said.

Prue quickly gathered herself. Phoebe shot down another stream of darkness and Prue once again responded with a blast of energy that she thrown upwards. The energies were, again, equally matched, but this time, they refused to give in and they were much too close to each other. Phoebe scowled furiously, Prue whaled as she struggled against her sister's attacks. The centre where the two energies clashed against each other shimmered with a bright light and became unstable. The energy exploded. Prue was thrown to the other side of the room; Phoebe was thrown to the opposite side. The explosion blasted through the attic, destroying countless objects and blowing a huge hole through the roof.

Back down in the basement, the house rumbled and a huge crash was heard.

Piper looked up. She was sweating and not feeling her best. "Oh God. Orb me up there."

"You look terrible; I'll go" Leo insisted.

"No, trust me, I've been mediating between those two my whole life, if anyone's going to stop this it's me!" Piper argued, feeling breathless.

"I can't lose you. I'm sorry" Leo frowned.

"I'm sorry too."

Piper waved her hands causing Leo and Sinead to decelerate. She could see Leo was about to tell her not to freeze him, but he'd already started moving in slow motions. Piper took a deep breath, drained a little from using her power and ran up the basement steps. She didn't realise, but Kit followed her.

In the attic, the smoke had just begun to clear. The room was a mess and Prue led unconscious under a broken piece of the ceiling. Phoebe woke up and slowly stood. She was bruised and had several cuts on her face. She was about to leave just as Piper entered.

"Oh my God, what did you do?" Piper gasped as she watched Phoebe's cuts heal.

"I didn't want it to be like this" Phoebe said, seeming like she was only just taking in the level of her destruction.

Leo orbed in and saw Prue. He ran to heal her. Prue regained consciousness and saw Piper looking unwell and facing Phoebe.

"I couldn't stop her" Leo defended.

Prue saw a box of crystals which had fallen out onto the floor. She squinted her eyes and subtly started to move the crystals around the room towards Phoebe while she was distracted by the middle sister.

"Sinead is in the basement; I can feel her" Phoebe smirked.

"I think I know how to help you. Please just let me" Piper begged.

"As soon as I've done what I need to do" Phoebe headed for the door. Piper stood in her way.

"Don't make me freeze you" Piper warned.

"Piper, you're sick…"

"I'm not the only one" Piper retorted.

Phoebe glared. She reached out to push Piper out of the way but was repelled by a cylinder of golden energy. Phoebe looked confused. So did Piper as the sparkling light shone around her body protecting her. Suddenly it faded. She heard purring. She looked down at her feet and saw that Kit was walking circles around her.

Leo realised what had just happened. "Familiars will guard their witch in times of great illness."

Piper laughed and smiled at the loving feline.

Phoebe smirked. "Congratulations Piper, you've officially been out-powered by our house cat."

Before Phoebe could make another move, Prue magically shifted the crystals into place. They glowed and erupted with a surge of electrical energy. Phoebe screamed as the electricity ran through her body and caused her clothes to steam. After a few seconds, Prue waved her hand and moved one of the crystals out of formation, ceasing the stun attack. Phoebe fell to her knees and then dropped all the way to the floor, unconscious.

"Sorry sis" Prue whispered.

In the basement, Sinead paced back and forth. Part of her was tempted to run like the wind as far away from the house as possible, but since three out of its four inhabitants had kept her alive up until now, she fought the urge and figured it was best to stay behind and wait for them to give her the all clear.

Suddenly the burn on her hand seared more than usual and she saw a burst of flame rise up out of nowhere. As the flames subsided, there stood The Source.

"You. You're the one I talked to out on the street" Sinead remembered.

"Indeed I am" he smirked.

She winced as the burn got hotter and harder to bear. "It's you, isn't it? You're the one who they say infected me!"

"Quite the amateur detective…" he moved towards her and held her arm. "I can fix that for you. The witches can't make this go away."

"Why should I believe you?" Sinead trembled.

"Because I'm not offering charity. I will do this for you, once you've done something for me" he tightened his grip on her and they both flamed out.

Piper picked up Kit and kissed her forehead.

"You have a plan?" Prue asked the middle child.

"I think so…" Piper shrugged.

"I'm all ears. Let's give it a shot, what is it?" Prue nodded.

"When you said the source of our power, we thought back to what we learned back in the 17th Century. Well that may be the root of our heritage and witchcraft, but I think we need to think closer to home. To the Power of Three. It might be a long shot, but I think I know what we have to do." Piper looked nervous, but Prue trusted her sister's judgement. Besides, all they had were long shots.

Sinead stood in the offices of The Brotherhood. Several cameras were pointed at her and behind them were countless employees sat at computers.

The Source stood beside her, pleased with what was about to take place. "Phase two will soon be executed. Rejoice my brotherhood. Let us begin."

The brotherhood employees began to bustle and set up machines. Sinead looked scared. "They will beat you." Her voice barely came out from under her fear.

"Speak the words you have been given. Speak the truth." The Source said emotionlessly.

The cameras began to roll.

One of the employees announced. "We're on every station in San Francisco my liege, working on national networks now."

The Source glared at Sinead. "Begin."

Sinead trembled and looked into the camera in front of her. "My name is Sinead Griffiths and I know the reason for the recent attacks in San Francisco. I know this because my brother and countless other innocent people were made victims long before these attacks happened. These massacres were orchestrated by witches. People who align themselves with the occult, with unnatural forces. We are in the midst of an epidemic. Witchcraft and occult practices have been quietly and insidiously taking over San Francisco. If you value the safety of your families; of your children, you will take this threat seriously."

Sinead hesitated and looked at The Source. He smirked at her.

She turned back to the camera. "This war has already begun. Will you stand by and let our values be jeopardised? Or will you stand your ground and say no to this infestation. Say no to their agenda. Take back our world."

The Brotherhood cheered around her and Sinead fought back tears. The Source smiled and gave her a nod.

(To be continued)

Next time on "Charmed"-

In the mid-season climax, Prue and Piper make their last ditch effort to get their little sister back. Meanwhile the war begins to rage and The Source's power over the world rises.


	12. I Am Light

**Charmed**

 **Season 4, Episode 12**

 **I Am Light**

 **By P3Nathan**

Prue and Piper ran down the basement steps as Leo orbed in with an unconscious Phoebe before them.

"Thanks honey" Piper said as her husband lay the youngest Halliwell on the floor of the basement.

"You should get out of here. No offense, but this needs to be just the three of us, we don't know what's going to happen" Prue pointed out.

Leo nodded. "I'll see if the Elders have any more news about Cole… I mean, The Source. Call me if you need me." He kissed Piper and orbed out.

Prue turned to Piper. "You ready to do this?"

Piper laughed nervously. "On so many levels, no. But I want our family back, so yes."

Prue and Piper moved towards their unconscious sister. "This is the right point?" Prue checked.

Piper nodded. "I'm pretty sure."

They stood looking down at Phoebe and joined hands above her.

"We are light. For our sister's soul we fight. In evil's grasp she does now dwell, they cannot have this Halliwell."

Phoebe started to come to as the floor boards beneath her started to glisten and rattle with rays of light. She looked up at her sisters. She got on her knees "What are you doing?"

Before Phoebe could do anything else, Prue and Piper each grabbed one of her hands and held on as tight as possible.

"Get off!" Phoebe screamed.

Prue and Piper continued. "So bring her back, make her whole, so we can save our sister's soul!"

The light became so intense that it was blinding and filled the whole room.

Prue rubbed her eyes. Her vision was blurry from the blast, but she was stood in darkness now. As she started to regain clarity, she saw Piper was next to her. They were in a bedroom, but it was hard to guess who's due to the lack of light. However, thunder rumbled outside.

"Where's Phoebe?" Prue whispered.

"I don't know" Piper responded.

Suddenly the door swung open and Penny Halliwell frantically rushed into the room carrying a bunch of candles. She placed them all around the room and then ignited each one with a lighter.

"Grams? Grams!" Piper called.

There was no response.

Before they knew it, their mother was entering the room with their father's assistance. Patty was sweating and trying to breathe through her contractions, holding her belly as she walked. Victor looked both excited and terrified in almost equal measure. They helped her onto the bed.

"It's Phoebe's birth" Prue realised, overwhelmed at the sight of all the family members they'd lost.

"Oh!" Patty winced. "Why isn't this any easier the third time round?"

Victor rubbed her shoulders. "Hang in there sweetheart, our daughter will be here soon." He looked up at Penny, "Right?"

Penny went to check on her daughter's progress. "Alright, Patty," she confirmed "It definitely looks like it's time to push."

Patty squeezed Victor's hand with one hand, while squeezing the mattress with the other and gave it her all. Her face contorted into shapes almost impossible to replicate under any other circumstances, as she pushed through the pain. She stopped for a moment to breathe.

"She's almost here, she's almost here," Penny cheered. "One more should do it!"

Victor welled up as his wife gritted her teeth and pushed some more. "You'll be holding her before you know it"

Patty stopped pushing and gasped as she heard a baby's cries. She gave a smile that lit up the room more than any electricity could, as her mother rose from the bottom of the bed with a beautiful baby girl in her arms. "She is so beautiful" Patty beamed with tears in her eyes.

"Of course she is, takes after her mother" Penny handed the baby to the mom of three.

Prue and Piper looked at each other and smiled, overwhelmed at being able to see this; the arrival of their baby sister. "She is beautiful" Piper whispered, as if to avoid disturbing the baby despite their apparent invisibility.  
"She is" Prue choked up a little.

As Penny went to get the new Mom of three some water, things took a sinister turn. Prue and Piper's view was blocked as three hooded figures appeared before them.

Prue and Piper gave a sigh of relief as their Grams ran back into the room.

"He will have the baby," the middle demon coldly stated to Penny. "If not tonight, then eventually."

"You will leave them alone and you will leave my house!" With that, Penny raised her arms and the demons were swept out of the room in a blur. The force of Penny's telekinetic magic blew through the room like a gust of wind that dissipated as quickly as it emerged.

Patty rocked Phoebe once again and managed to calm her a little. "Mom, will they come back?"

Penny sighed. "Not tonight dear. Not tonight." 

Prue and Piper no longer looked so happy. They were disturbed and saddened to see such a beautiful moment tainted by evil.

Prue sighed. "Not even a full minute old and she had to the deal with this."

"Her family protected her. They were here for her. That's what we need to focus on" Piper replied.

Prue nodded.

Patty looked into her new daughter's eyes and it wasn't long before the horrible intrusion was practically forgotten about; lost in a mother's loving gaze.

The room blurred around them and shifted. Before Prue and Piper could react, they were in the basement again. It wasn't how they had just left it however; things were moved; it didn't seem quite right.

"Are we back?" Piper asked.

Prue looked around. "I don't think so."

San Francisco Police Department was bustling with activity. Darryl Morris struggled to keep up with calls as the phones rang continuously. The police captain came to his desk.

"Morris, we've got another hostage situation. This one's a local college" he informed.

Darryl sighed. "Tell me it's not another…"

"Wicca group? I'm afraid so. The gunman has apparently been shouting about protecting his kids from them. Just crazies attacking crazies; there's bound to be more riots nearby."

Darryl looked distressed. "Okay, just let me make a quick phone call."

"Morris?" another cop called before Darryl had a chance to dial.

Darryl walked over to his colleague, who was staring anxiously out of the window. Darryl looked with him. What they saw was a rather angry looking mob of around thirty people heading towards the precinct.

"What the hell is going on?" the cop asked as the mob moved closer.

"The world's going to hell" Darryl answered. "We'd better get ready."

(Opening Credits) 

Prue and Piper remained stood in the basement, unsure of why they were there. Prue looked around and she saw that the basement floor was split. She immediately realised what part of the past they were in and right on cue, the shadow emerged from the floor. Prue and Piper looked nervously as the shadow began to wrap its tendrils around them.

"I am light" they chanted. "I am one too strong to fight…"

They were interrupted as the basement door swung open. Phoebe had much shorter hair and was holding a knife. "You are in no position to be telling me what to do" she said to Prue.

"It's no use, your sister's evil now" the deep voice of the shadow hissed.

Prue didn't know if she could even communicate with these apparitions, but she gave it a shot. "Phoebe we're here for you. Do you hear me? We're right here."

Piper pitched in. "You were stronger than the shadow Phoebe, and you're stronger than The Source too."

Phoebe's image began to flicker and shifted into her present day appearance. Her eyes sore and her skin protruding with dark energy. "I can't I'm not… I wasn't strong enough."

The shadow was engulfing Prue and Piper more and more, they didn't flinch.

"I'm sorry" she cried.

Prue and Piper looked at each other desperately.

Piper looked at her baby sister and began to sing quietly and a little embarassed. "If you're lost, you can look and you will find me. Time after time."

Prue nodded. "If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting…"

Phoebe looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Time after time" she whispered.

Prue nodded. "Careful, wise and together." She stated.

The shadow started to back away.

Piper looked Phoebe in the eyes. "You know the spell."

She nodded. "I am light; I am one too strong to fight. Return to dark where shadows dwell. You cannot have this Halliwell. So go away, leave my sight and take with you this endless night!"

The room filled with glowing white lights that spiralled around the three sisters and the shadow. The basement was engulfed in a brilliant blast of light energy.

Prue and Piper were back in darkness. They looked around and saw red tinted cave walls.

"The Underworld" Prue realised.

"What?" Piper sighed "But we got through to her, why are we down here?"

"Piper" Prue pointed. "This is where they held her."

Piper gasped as she saw a little girl on the ground of the cell.

"But Phoebe wasn't that old was she?" Piper asked confused.

"We're not in the past anymore. I think Phoebe has finally let us in" Prue responded.

Piper nodded, still not entirely sure she understood.

They moved towards the girl. As they got closer, Prue and Piper were both incredibly distressed. If Prue hadn't already worked it out, it would've been difficult to tell that the girl was Phoebe. She had been badly beaten and was covered in dirt. Little Phoebe came to, struggling to open her swollen eyes as Prue and Piper stood before her.

"Prue? Piper?" she whispered.

They knelt down beside her. "Yeah, sweetie, it's us" Prue stroked her hair, trying to stay strong.

"We're not going anywhere" Piper told her.

Prue gently touched her baby sister's face, trying not to aggravate her injuries. "Where does it hurt most?"

Little Phoebe looked at Prue with tear filled eyes. "My soul" she answered in a whimper.

Prue felt like she'd taken a blow right in the heart and a few tears escaped. She wrapped her arms around her and Piper did the same. "We've got you" Prue whispered. "We've got you. We've got you."

Almost instantly, the sisters were back in the present day basement, still holding each other. They had an intense golden light swirling around them as Phoebe wept in the centre of the energy. They released each other from the embrace and the golden magic funnelled down into the basement floor, causing the ground to shimmer for a moment.

Phoebe dropped to her knees and looked down at the floor. Her veins returned to normal; colour returned to her cheeks. The burns she had acquired in the Underworld however, still scarred her flesh.

"Phoebe?" Piper whispered.

"I'm so sorry" Phoebe wept.

Prue put her hand on her shoulder and Phoebe flinched a little, so Prue backed up. "You're okay now."

"I hurt people. I hurt you. It's not okay."

They remained silent for a few moments.

"I was going to kill Sinead" Phoebe continued.

"You were being influenced by evil" Piper defended.

"I made a choice. Our job is to protect the innocent; not to punish the guilty. I wanted revenge."

Prue and Piper looked at one another. "Protecting the innocent is exactly what you'll do… what we'll do. We can get you some help, we can stick together and you can remember who you are again, by helping others" Prue stated.

"Remember, you once told me that there was no way I'd have been given this gift if it wasn't to do good things with it. To protect the innocent just like the Book of Shadows said. Well now I'm reminding you of that." Piper gave a determined look into her baby sister's eyes.

Prue and Piper each held out an open palm. Phoebe looked at them for a moment, wiped the tears from her face and put her hands in theirs. She nodded. "Thank you."

The Source stood in the offices of The Brotherhood, watching several monitors. A female news reporter spoke on one of the screens.

 _"Several more crimes have been linked to occultists who many believe are trying to take over San Francisco, if not the United States. Riots are escalating and hate crime rates are soaring. Citizens are demanding that all occult stores be closed and even for people who identify as witches to be banned from schools and anywhere else where they may have contact with children."_

The Source smiled as he watched another screen which showed a recording of a group of men. They were cheering in front of a bon fire as they threw books onto the flames. Close ups of the books before they were thrown showed that they were all books on Wicca, Paganism and even just general spirituality.

On a third screen, a priest spoke before his congregation. "We must exorcise the witches from our city. The bible says: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live! But we are not killers, these are different times! Love the sinner, hate the sin!" Certain members of his congregation nodded in agreement, while others seemed angry at his suggestion to love the sinner.

The Source let out a sigh of self-satisfaction. "Let them burn."

Sinead Griffiths approached him sheepishly. "Erm, excuse me, but I was just…"

"Ah Sinead, come in. What can I do for you?" he asked with a glazed smile.

"Um well you promised you'd…" she held up her hand and nodded to the burn.

"Oh of course. I am a man of my word." He held his hand over her burn and a tiny cloud of dark smoke emerged from her hand and was absorbed into his. The burn began to rapidly fade almost immediately.

"Thank you" Sinead began to leave the room.

"You know; I can't help but think you might be more at home here." The Source tempted.

Sinead stopped and turned around.

"It just doesn't seem like there's much for you out there anymore" he shrugged.

"I don't think…"

"Just think about it" he smiled.

Sinead didn't react. She turned back around and left the room as quickly as she could.

As the mob approached San Francisco Police Station, Darryl and several of his colleagues went outside to hold them off.

"We're not safe in our own town! The cops protect the witches before their own people. You've heard the rumours!" a man at the front of the crowd yelled.

"We need you to back away and disperse right now! We have a situation to get to" Darryl ordered.

"They cover for them. People disappear and nothing is done! We won't stand for it any longer."

The mob charged. The cops moved towards them. A brawl ensued. Some of the mob had knives and baseball bats. The cops fought them off as best they could without drawing their guns. Several mob members were wrestled to the ground and put in handcuffs as the riot continued around them. Darryl defended himself among the crowd, blocking attacks and wrestling a mob member down. He handcuffed him and got up. As Darryl rose, the guy he'd just handcuffed looked at him and smirked.

"I know you're the one most in their pocket Morris and I know where your family live." Darryl tried to hide his fear and turned away.

In the attic of Halliwell Manor, Piper and Phoebe waited patiently while Prue flipped through the Book of Shadows. Leo orbed in and smiled as he saw Phoebe looking more like herself again.

"You did it! I was praying that The Elders were right when they told me" he cheered.

"How exactly did you do it?" Phoebe asked her sisters, not sharing in Leo's enthusiasm.

"The Power of Three" Piper said.

"Remember the soul link we tried before?" Prue elaborated. "Well we tried it again and used it to reach out to you."

"But how did that get rid of The Source's influence?" Phoebe enquired.

Leo pitched in. "Once they reached your soul and you let them in, The Power of Three could take full effect again. It's the most powerful force of good magic there is. It purified the evil; got rid of the black blood."

Phoebe nodded, understanding. She looked around.

"What is it?" Piper asked.

"I don't see Dad anymore, I haven't since… since I was in his apartment."

"Well, you're better now" Piper smiled.

"I don't have black blood in me anymore, but I'm not sure we can say I'm better yet" Phoebe said.

"If the Source still has Dad's soul, we'll get it back. Maybe that'll be a good start. Plus, we need to get Sinead back, assuming she didn't just run off again. Not to mention kicking his ass for everything he's done." Prue suggested.

"We need to infiltrate the Brotherhood base of operations. Are you okay to do that?" Piper asked.

Phoebe nodded. "We'll need to be careful, they're not all demons. He has humans supporting his cause now."

"Right," Prue agreed. "Don't vanquish it unless it uses magic."

"Maybe we can get through to Cole" Phoebe suggested.

"Phoebe…" Piper started sceptically.

"A dispossession spell won't work on The Source" Leo pointed out.

"You did it for me" Phoebe argued.

"But Phoebe" Leo said, "The Power of Three purifies evil energy; whatever his allegiance, Cole is still half demon."

"He wouldn't survive it?" Prue asked.

Leo shook his head. "It's unlikely. It won't just target The Source; it'll target Belthazor."

Phoebe sighed. "Okay, then I'll try to get through to him, like I got through to you" she nodded to Piper. "Bombard him with visions of us; maybe it'll help him fight through."

"Okay" Prue agreed, even though she didn't really have much hope.

The sisters prepared for battle and as they left the house, Phoebe saw the photo that their Grams had taken all those years ago. A photo in which the sisters had been quite far apart before The Power of Three brought them back together. The photo, which usually brought her such happiness, made her feel sad.

The sisters entered the towering building. They were all feeling pretty daunted, which wasn't helped when they saw people protesting against witches on the way over. Piper had selectively frozen any nearby humans on the way in. It was clear that they needed to put a stop to The Source's plan before the world sank deeper into the darkness.

As they moved down the long corridor, five demons shimmered in.

"Get ready guys!" Prue cued. Two of the demons were about to throw energy balls at her, but before they could, Prue raised her arms and pinned them against the ceiling. She threw her arms downward and dropped them with force on the ground.

A demon charged towards Phoebe. She raised her arms and levitated into the air. The demon shimmered out and shimmered above her in mid-air. He dropped onto her back and grabbed hold. Phoebe dropped lower under the weight for a moment, but managed to rise back up with the demon on her shoulders. "You wanna ride?" she seethed. Phoebe began spinning in the air. The demon held on tight. Phoebe kept spinning, faster and faster until she began to create a gust of wind around herself from spinning so fast. The demon lost his grip and went hurtling against a far off wall. Phoebe slowed and steadied herself, waiting for the head rush to pass as she floated back down to ground.

Piper froze an energy ball heading towards her and then waved her hands at the sender, causing him to explode. Prue saw the frozen energy ball and telekinetically threw into the chest of the last demon; destroying him on impact.

"Everybody okay?" Prue asked.

The sisters gathered back together and nodded.

"Good. That was just the warm up" Prue led them down the corridor.

The Source stood in his office. There was a box on his desk. He smiled and pressed a button on his desk phone. "They're here. Allow me some time alone with them, but begin arranging plan B just in case."

The sisters entered. Phoebe was still taken aback by seeing her lover's face.

"Welcome back Phoebe, I see you've returned to fight the good fight. How disappointing" he mocked.

"It's over" Phoebe plainly stated.

"No sweet girl, believe me, it's only just begun" he grinned.

"You took my life from me, you took Cole…" she hissed.

He opened the box on his desk and revealed a white orb placed within. "Not just him…"

The sisters' anger built.

The Source laughed. "Oh but Belthazor should be proud to be a part of what I'm doing. I'll bring such carnage to this world, it'll make his work look like child's play."

Prue waved her arm and sent him flying against the wall. Piper followed and managed to slow him down slightly. "Go, try it quickly!" Piper encouraged.

Phoebe ran towards the body of her love and grabbed hold of his hand. She closed her eyes and focused her affection; creating a connection with the mind. Images of the time they'd spent together flashed through her mind and she channelled them into him; hoping for the best.

Piper's power stopped taking effect and he looked into Phoebe's eyes.

"Cole?" she asked.

He didn't answer, he just held her immediately and kissed her passionately. He smiled and Phoebe smiled back. Suddenly that smile turned into a callous grin and he hit Phoebe across the room, back towards her sisters. They helped her up.

"Stupid bitch. You really thought it'd be that easy. That you'd beat me with true love? Who the hell do you think you're dealing with?" He roared as a dark aura crackled around him.

The sisters held hands, nervous about what was about to happen. "Phoebe" Prue whispered, "I think…"

Phoebe wiped tears from her eyes. "I know."

Piper tightened her grip on Phoebe's hand. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, we need to be together on this." Phoebe said.

The Source doubled over in pain. "What the…" he squirmed. A voice came from him in a whisper. "Do it, Phoebe, use the power."

Phoebe's eyes widened. "Cole?" It seemed that her power had worked after all, even if it wasn't as effective as she'd hoped.

The Source regained control after that mere second and began to raise his power again. "Welcome to hell witches!"

"Now!" Prue demanded.

A sphere of golden light appeared around Prue, it glowed around her like a sparkling force-field. Piper did the same and the energy between the two globes connected creating one big sphere that surrounded the two.

The Source smirked as Phoebe was left uncovered. "Always the weak one, Phoebe."

Phoebe didn't react. A golden sphere surrounded her and she connected with her sisters. The sphere became a huge glistening beacon of light energy that encapsulated the power of three.

"You think you can beat me?" The Source spat.

"With our sisterhood working as one? Yes!" Prue replied.

They began chanting. "The power of three will set us free. The power of three will set us free. The power of three will set us free!"

The light moved towards The Source and he found himself unable to teleport out. He screamed in rage and agony as the power engulfed him and caused his evil to burn within himself.

Klea was in a dark room preparing a ritual space. She laid out several items on the floor and lit numerous candles. She poured a chalice of blood into the centre of the altar. The space was ready for her master to work his dark magic should he need it.

The Brotherhood office was rendered silent. The sisters still stood, hands held tightly together, but they were drained of energy. The body of Cole Turner led on the floor motionless. Phoebe ran towards him.

"Phoebe careful, what if it didn't work?" Piper cautioned.

Prue put her hand on Piper's shoulder as she watched their little sister. "It worked."

Phoebe held Cole in her arms. "Cole? Cole wake up. We did it, he's gone."

Prue and Piper watched sadly as Cole didn't respond.

Tears filled Phoebe's eyes. "Don't leave me. Come on, come back to me. I'm here."

Cole's eyes flickered open slightly. "Phoebe."

Phoebe smiled. "Hey. You did it, you got through to me and we got him."

"Good" he sighed.

"We have our life back now. All those things I showed you in the visions, we can have more of that. We can get married and have a really nice house in the country and have our first child. We're gonna be so happy together Cole" Phoebe sobbed, holding his hand tightly.

"That sounds nice" Cole whispered, his eyes getting weaker.

"Yeah, so you stay with me okay. We can have our dream now." Phoebe begged.

"Thank you" he said softly.

"For what?" Phoebe asked.

"You were my dream" he whispered as his eyes closed and his body surrendered.

"Cole? Cole?" Phoebe pleaded.

Cole's body slowly turned to dust in her hands and she cried as the air carried him away from her.

Prue and Piper walked over to the desk and picked up the box containing their father's soul. "I think it's time we gave the people we love some peace" Prue commented. Piper nodded in agreement as they watched Phoebe whimpering on the ground. They slowly moved towards her, far enough away to give her space, but close enough that she knew she wasn't alone.

The Source flamed in before Klea.

"Plan B is prepared my liege" Klea bowed, seeing her master in his usual domineering crimson appearance for the first time in months.

The Source stroked Klea's face with his feral claws. "Good work, Klea."

"Would you like some time to recuperate my lord?" Klea asked. "This ritual may drain you considerably."

"Oh I'll have time to recharge once it's done" he responded in his booming deep voice. "We need to strike while they're distracted by their grief."

Prue stood in the middle of the cemetery. She held an umbrella as rain bounced on the grass. Her dark hair tied back in a bun, she wiped tears from her eyes with her black leather glove, which matched the rest of her attire. In her other hand, she held a rose and slowly walked towards a coffin. As she drew closer, she struggled to keep herself together. The tears freed themselves from her eyes, but otherwise she managed to sustain her composure. When she reached the coffin, she fell to her knees next to it.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her breath trembling from the grief.

She placed the rose on top of the smooth brown wood. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment to say goodbye to yet another person she loved. Half-expecting to open her eyes and realize it was all a dream, she sighed as she blew one last kiss to her father. She stepped back and joined her sisters, who had already paid their respects. Piper's eyes were blood shot from weeping, while Phoebe's expression seemed more haunted and withdrawn. Leo and Darryl stood close by as the sisters held each other and their father's coffin was lowered into the ground.

The Source's cloak shimmered with dark energy as he stood in the centre of a circle that Klea had arranged for him. He pointed to each item that made up the circle.

"The Mordred Blade; symbol of my dedication to the war for evil. Dust of the Cole Turner, soul of Benjamin Coleridge Turner, heart of Victor Bennett; symbols of good's losses and our victories. Let this day not be remembered for our failure, but for our vengeance. Take away their pain, but leave this mortal world unprotected!"

The items glowed and a cylinder of black energy erupted around The Source. He raised his blood red claws in the air and the energy burst through the ceiling.

"The Power of Three shall be extinguished! Let my reign on this earth begin!"

The funeral car pulled up outside the Manor. Prue thanked the driver as Piper and Phoebe headed towards the steps.

"Hey" Prue called to her sisters.

They stopped at the bottom of the steps.

Prue held their hands. "We're going to be okay, you know that right?"

Phoebe looked sad. "We've just lost so much this year… and the world's going mad."

Piper stroked her hair. "So long as we have each other, we'll survive like always."

"Sisters forever" Prue smiled.

The three shared a hug and were about to walk up the steps to The Manor entrance, when they heard a strange rumbling in the distance. They turned around and looked up at the sky. The clouds had suddenly gone unnaturally dark and the blue sky had begun to turn a threatening crimson.

"What's that?" Piper asked as a great darkness slowly creeped over the street.

Prue held onto her sisters, unsure of what was happening. The darkness blackened everything until they couldn't even see each other anymore.

-Three Months Later-

Phoebe sat in a bathroom waiting anxiously. She looked around at her surroundings. She couldn't believe she was there in that moment. How did I get here? She thought. What the hell am I doing? She just couldn't believe she had gotten herself into this situation. She finally worked up the courage to look. She checked the pregnancy test. It was positive. She let out a sigh of despair. She wrapped the stick up in toilet paper and threw it in the trash. Phoebe left the bathroom and went back down a long white corridor.

A nurse saw her. "Ah Phoebe, there you are. It's time for your meds."

Phoebe nodded. "What am I going to do?" she whispered to herself.

Outside the psychiatric hospital building in which Phoebe was staying, the noise of New York city blared undeniably. She couldn't deny that in a weird way, it almost soothed her.

In the Manor a party was being held. Prue wore a long black dress and several very wealthy people were talking about her beauty and success while munching on canapés. A large desk displayed her photobook, titled "To San Francisco, With Love".

Prue's publisher approached her and kissed her on the cheek. "Prue, this night has been fabulous. You deserve every bit of success you get and more. It's been a pleasure helping you get this book out."

"I couldn't have done it without you Arnold" Prue smiled.

"I'm flattered, but your work practically sells itself. Goodnight darling and congratulations."

"Night" Prue reciprocated as he left. "Oooh better not forget to pay" Prue reminded herself as she got out the money she's set aside for the catering.

Piper just finished up in the kitchen; Leo had helped her clear up. "Thanks sweetie" Piper said to her husband kissing him on the cheek.

She left the kitchen and Prue handed her the money.

"Thank you so much for all of this, the food was beyond fantastic" Prue complimented.

"Oh no problem, this is the nicest party we've ever catered for. Stunning house by the way." Piper responded.

"Thank you" Prue grinned. Her smile faded slightly as she felt a chill. "I'm sorry, have we met before? I mean before we started planning tonight. You just seem really familiar to me."

Piper shook her head. "You know, I thought the same thing."

The pair looked at each other for a moment.

"Did you go to Baker High School?" Piper asked.

"Yes! That must be it" Prue nodded, though not looking entirely convinced.

Piper smiled. "Well it was nice meeting you."

"You too" Prue reciprocated as she left.

With the party drawing to a close, Prue turned to the TV. Bane Jessup joined Prue and kissed her cheek. "I'm proud of you" he smiled. "I'm sure your parents would have been proud too."

"Thank you sweetie" Prue rested her head on his shoulder as an unsettling news report appeared on screen.

"In an increasingly volatile time for San Francisco where hate crime rates continue to soar and the protection of our children is top priority; parents have had even more disturbing and seemingly occult based problems to deal with. Several reports of children who in their parent's words 'seem possessed' have been made to police and social services."

A clip of a classroom of children flicked onto the screen. The camera panned the room of children who stared emotionlessly and then zoomed in on some of them scribbling onto paper, on desks and on walls. Each child was writing the same thing: "He has risen"

Prue watched as the news story continued, she looked worried as her eyes were fixed on the screen.

Bane sighed. "World's going to hell."

Prue nodded. "Yeah… sure seems like it."

-The End-


	13. Winter Solstice (Chapter 1)

Author's Note: _I would like to apologise to everyone for my lack of contact and updates. I am just now re-entering the world of the living and I am taking baby steps. I'll briefly explain what led to the unexpected hiatus and then I will talk about the future of this series._

 _In September, we suffered a very big loss in the family and as it was coming up to the one year anniversary of someone else's death, I was already quite raw. Suffice to say, I didn't handle it well. I basically shut down entirely. As I say, I am just now returning to the world from this weird place of grief I've been in. Christmas wasn't easy, so I just needed to get through it and now that I have survived that, I feel capable of making some tiny steps. So, if anyone hasn't heard from me, I'm sorry, I promise it isn't personal, I'm just not ready to face anyone yet._

 _Now for this series. I honestly don't feel capable of 12 full episodes any time soon, but I don't want to leave this series unresolved. I know it has many readers who love it and I don't want to leave you hanging… so I came to a decision' a compromise._

The final part of the series will be called "Charmed: Seasons of the Witch". It will consist of 4 "episodes" which will each be split into 6 chapters. This will make the episodes longer than usual, but breaking them into these smaller chunks will make it easier for me to manage and update regularly. Obviously with this shorter run, the series has needed adjusting, but I promise that the story will be as close to what I originally intended as possible. Also, I realise the series is titled "Charmed: The Final Season" and I suppose "Seasons of the Witch" is basically a very short season 5, but needs must.

 _I hope you all had happy holidays and all the best for 2017. I hope you enjoy the end of my story._

 **Charmed: Seasons of the Witch**

 **Episode 1**

 **"Winter Solstice"**

 **Chapter One**

It was the early hours of the morning in San Francisco. The sun wouldn't rise for at least a couple more hours and the woods were inky black with darkness. A young woman in a night gown struggled to keep breathing as she ran through the prickly earth beneath her, with nothing on her feet. She couldn't stop, or slow down and look behind her; she was too afraid of seeing them gaining on her. She knew she couldn't run much longer, but fought through the exhaustion and panic, hoping she could muster just long enough to come by some houses or a place where she'd be seen by a kind stranger. Kind strangers seemed hard to come by in San Francisco these days. She gasped, her breath caught in the back of her throat, as she felt herself trip on a large fallen branch. Tears streamed down her face. She was scared and she thought of how devastated her little brother would be if she died. She heard them heading towards her. She slowly turned around. Three men stood with guns, one of them pointing right at her.

"Take the shot Rob" one of the men insisted.

"No, please" she pleaded.

Paying no attention, the centre man's finger clasped around the trigger.

She completely despaired and all of a sudden, a rage washed over her. How dare they treat her this way? Who do they think they are? She let out a furious scream and the grass between her and the men burst into flames. A stream of fire charged towards the gun pointing killer. He was blown back by the flames and dropped his gun. The third man went to check on him, while the first pointed his own gun and didn't hesitate in shooting the woman square in the forehead. The flames vanished almost instantly as her lifeless body dropped to the ground.

Prue Halliwell sat in "The Brew Room", a local coffee store that had offered to place a copy her newly published photo-book on each of their tables. Prue had been sat for the past hour signing the books for people and she was beginning to feel a little fatigued by the repetition.

"Not that I'm not thrilled by the turnout, but how much longer am I going to have to do this?" Prue asked her agent.

Klea smiled at the oblivious Charmed One and lay a hand on her shoulder. "Just another half hour, but you can take a break whenever you need one."

"It's okay, I'll get it done. Want to get home and see my fiancé as soon as possible."

Klea nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

As more fans approached, Prue turned to the demon. "Thank you by the way; for everything. You've made all of this so easy and stress free."

Klea smirked. "You're more than welcome Prue. I'm here to keep you happy and on track; that's my job."

Prue returned to Halliwell Manor. She felt the warmth of home greet her as she entered and was stunned by the glitter of numerous Christmas decorations. Bane Jessup met her in the sitting room and smiled proudly.

"You decorated" Prue beamed.

"Thought it'd be nice for you to come home to" Bane kissed her.

"You're so thoughtful, what made you do it today? I thought you were going to wait a week."

Bane gestured to the television. "I felt like we needed a distraction from all the horrors in the world."

Prue looked quizzically.

"They found another girl's body. It was burned up," Bane explained.

"Oh God, what the hell is up with this city recently?"

Before Bane could answer, the phone interrupted them. Prue picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" She looked confused. "Sorry you have the wrong number". Prue put the phone down in frustration.

"Who was it?" Bane asked.

"Just a prank call. I'd better prepare for my shoots tomorrow. I have that piece on the mayoral election."

"Time for a glass of wine first?"

Prue smiled.

Prue tried not to let the size of the house intimidate her as she walked down the long hallway with her camera and equipment. She watched as an older woman in a maid's uniform forcefully guided a teenage girl towards the door.

"You need to go to practice" the woman stated.

"But why can't I be in the picture?" the girl protested.

"You know very well why, I saw the stuff in your room as I was cleaning. Now go on."

The girl held back tears and giving up, she stormed past Prue and out the door.

"Sorry you had to see that, I take it you're the photographer?" she asked, noticing the equipment.

"Um, yeah… is she okay?" Prue looked concerned.

"She'll be fine. Come this way" the maid abruptly began walking back down the hall.

Before following, Prue turned to look through the window. As the girl walked down the lane, Prue saw a dark figure hovering over her. The girl couldn't see it and Prue wondered if she was sleep deprived, but no… she knew it was there. What could it be?


End file.
